Hatake Revival
by Hatake Puppy
Summary: Kakashi, the Yajukage of Akuma the Hidden Daemon Village has fallen in love and became engaged to a wolf daemon, who happens to be half vampire with a deadly history. When her past returns to haunt her, his devotion is put to the test. Very OC.
1. Konoha Weekend

**Konoha Weekend**

Every ninja needs a break, especially the Yajukage. Kakashi Hatake had gotten away from his responsibilities in the Hidden Daemon Village and got time to take his student and adoptive daughter, the three-tailed fox daemon that preferred to be called Puppy, with him to Konoha. He got the have the weekend to just get away and visit some old friends and he welcomed the down time more than his colleagues could imagine. As for Puppy, she was excited cause it was her second time going to Konoha and she missed seeing all the friendly faces of her "father's" good friends and former students. Once they got in the village, they got everything unpacked in the Hatake home and settled in long enough to realize that if they stayed at home for too long, everyone was going to find them and invade the house whether Kakashi wanted them to or not. It'd be easier if they went to visit everyone now. The silver-haired Shinobi gently pushed the restless fox out the door only to see her run quickly towards the direction of the academy. Past the academy were the courtyard and the Hokage tower, where everyone was waiting for them.

Everyone that knew Kakashi, including Team 7, was excited to see him since he last came. And that was about a year ago. They also welcomed Puppy back to the village and got to chat with her and get her comfortable around all the adults. Puppy became good friends with Shikamaru, the more laid back out of the entire group. Her other friend that was within her age bracket was Uchuu, the son of Captain Yamato and Ayame, that very nice woman at the Ichiraku Ramen that she pays a visit to here and there. She also got to know a bit more about Gai, after hearing so much about him. In their first encounter, she didn't like how Gai kept trying to convince her that he was better than Kakashi. So whenever Gai was around, she did her best to fake a smile and move on to the next group.

While Puppy got herself settled with the others, Kakashi made his way up the tower to the Hokage's office to do his usual debriefing with Tsunade and Naruto. Even though Naruto was in charge, the blonde rookie still kept the Godaime Hokage in the background for educational reasons. And even though Kakashi was now a Kage in his own village, he was still a Shinobi of the Leaf. He had to follow through with his usual reports, especially if anything new in his village could help out the Leaf. But at the end of the meet, Naruto always had to pull his teacher and family-figure aside and make small talk. After finding out that their fathers were like brothers to each other, they both felt it was right to try and establish that family-type relationship Minato and Sakumo had started. They tried to be like cousins as well as friends.

The problem was, now that Naruto was a married man and was plainspoken by nature, he had to ask Kakashi when it going to be his time to find himself a wife.

"Don't start Naruto." Kakashi said with a sigh.

"Oh come on." Naruto chuckled. "I know you've got plenty of time with that outstanding longevity of yours, but you aren't getting any younger either. And I have to admit, all those years of watching you read those Icha-Icha books from the Pervy Sage and how girls could flock to you, I could've sworn you were a 'busy guy' that at some point you were going to give in and settle down. I was betting on after the Forth Great Ninja War or after I became Hokage. Neither timeframe happened. So come on man, what's holding ya back?"

"I have other responsibilities." Kakashi said in an attempt to defend himself. Having Naruto think he was a womanizer was somewhat demeaning, but at 43 years of age, most people would naturally assume he'd at least taken a few women into his bed. All of them are surprised when they find he's remained pure. "And I may not be a wolf, nor a wolf daemon, but I admire the 'mate for life' belief. I'm not in the world's biggest hurry to settle down or bang every girl that flirts with me. I'm glad for you and Hinata, but I haven't found my mate yet. Finding someone isn't easy either when I have a village to protect and a student to teach."

"Yeah, a student that you ended up adopting." Naruto said bluntly with his arms crossed behind his head.

"I have a soft spot for her, okay? She kinda needed that parental figure in her life, so I thought it wouldn't hurt to step up to that position."

"All because she called you "Daddy" by accident when she was 5?" Naruto asked trying to hold back a laugh. When Kakashi didn't show any signs of denying it by the look in his eyes, Naruto's laugh exploded hard enough that it had to have hurt.

"And you wonder why people like Sakura and Tsunade want to pound you into the ground like a metal rod..." Kakashi murmured flatly, and walked past the laughing ninja. "Kids can be your soft spot if you like them. Trust me, Naruto. In fact, I can see you having a little girl of your own that'll have you wrapped around her finger someday. And when you're in a similar moment of weakness, I'll be laughing at you for revenge."

Naruto's laugh resided to giggles as he followed Kakashi down to the front entrance of the Hokage tower. "You know, I don't blame you if you do. But do you suppose I could handle a daughter? With my abrasive personality, I'm afraid I'll end up with a spoiled princess, or even a stubborn brat if it's a boy or a girl."

"Well considering that you know you're abrasive, it just means you'll know what to expect if they start showing signs of being your exact replica."

"Very funny, Kakashi-sensei." Naruto groaned. "Hinata wants to have kids, but I don't know if I'm ready for that yet. I don't really want to say yes though either. It wouldn't be right. That's one thing I don't want to jump into without knowing what I'm up against."

"You're young, no sense in rushing." Kakashi said. When Naruto went to speak again, Kakashi cut him short. "Okay, so how did we start talking about kids?"

The blonde was very quiet as they stepped down from the final few stairs and he held onto the doorknob as he thought about it. "I haven't the slightest clue. I just wanted to ask if you got hitched yet."

Kakashi laughed softly and shook his head. "No, I haven't found somebody yet."

"I could've sworn you were smitten with somebody just last year. What happened to that?"

When Kakashi didn't say anything, Naruto just grinned and opened the door to head back out the rest of the gang. The silver-haired Shinobi just followed behind.

They walked out with their professional game faces on and found other topics of conversation, mostly about what was new in their lives. After playing some quick catch-up and everyone had gone off topic, the fox girl tugged on Kakashi's vest a little to get his attention.

"This may come as a big surprise… but… are we gonna go to get some food? I'm hungry." Puppy said with a guilty smile on her face.

"Soon. Just wait a little bit, okay?" Kakashi said, only to turn his attention to Gai on the other side of the courtyard giving his little 'Power of Youth' thumbs-up to a very hormonal and intolerant Sakura. That wasn't going to go over well.

When things looked like they could make their escape, they both got up and walked out the courtyard gates, heading past the academy and deciding to walk around. Puppy found this her opportunity for him to buy her lunch while they took their well-deserved vacation. She liked the scenery in the village and wanted to wonder off as well. But she didn't know the place yet, so she stayed close to Kakashi like a good obedient daughter and a respectable student.

_It is such a nice place_. Puppy thought. _And it's peaceful too_.

Puppy noticed the Ichiraku Ramen Bar and she waved at Kakashi as she darted over to the shop and started looking at the menu. Luckily for her, Uchuu's mother, Ayame was at the counter today; someone that was a girl and could understand her, finally. It wasn't that Puppy didn't like the guys and the girls in the Rookie Eleven were okay, but being a girl, she wished she could have more than just the Yajukage's assistant and the occasional Hinata when she comes to send documents here and there. Kakashi gave up and strolled over to the bar and gave a friendly nod to Ayame. She didn't eat as much today, so Kakashi didn't have to pay a ton of money. Not that he minded, that just means he won't go broke on this weekend trip.

When they left Kakashi said, "The Ramen wasn't as good as the Ramen in Akuma huh?"

Puppy, surprised that he figured it out, nodded in shame. "Tastes weird. Still tastes like Ramen, but a bit… dirtier."

Kakashi chuckled. "That's because the Ramen here isn't as rich tasting as the Ramen in Akuma. The Hidden Daemon is more mineralized, therefore the food made and grown seems 'cleaner' compared to anywhere else. Remember that."

Puppy sighed and leaned on Kakashi very briefly before wandering away again as they walked. They walked around the town and Kakashi took her to the places she wanted to check out, but while she kept her eyes on the places, Kakashi had his gaze out on the mountains. There was someone he knew here, an old friend one could say. Boy he wouldn't give to talk to this old friend since it had been almost a year since they spoke.

When the sun began to set, they went back to the academy for a dinner that the kunoichi of the Rookie 11 had made for the group in welcoming Kakashi and Puppy for their stay. After dinner, Tsunade began to ask Kakashi questions about work; Naruto had to remind her that this was Kakashi's vacation, and when she apologized, the Hatake sighed and just let her give him the news. It was always to Naruto's confusion and frustration, since he was Hokage now and had been for ten years.

_So why is Tsunade-baachan giving him all the information? That's my job now. _The blonde thought to himself with one quick huff.

Dinner wound down and everyone was sipping on sake and engaged in conversation once again. This gave Puppy the opportunity to get up and try to leave undetected.

"Koinu…" Kakashi said softly, yet very sternly.

Puppy stopped dead in her tracks. Whenever Kakashi said her real name, it was never a good sign. "Yes, Tou-san?" she asked respectfully.

"Where do you think you are going?"

"I'd like check out the village in the dark, if that's okay with you." Puppy replied.

He took a minute before answering. "Well I think so..." Kakashi said. "Are you planning to be out in that?" He noted to the orange kimono with yellow leaf prints she was wearing with its short skirt bottom. He hated that she never wore pants to go with the kimono; he also disliked the collar sliding off her shoulders and almost showing her strapless bra underneath, but no matter how many times he pulled the collar back up, it kept sliding back down. He could never find the time or the right person to fix that, nor could he get the girl to properly wear the kimono.

As Tsunade chuckled at Kakashi's worries, Puppy made a red face and replied. "Since when do you worry about me wearing this? Of course not, I'm slipping into something that is a bit more comfortable."

Kakashi rolled his eyes with a smirk under his mask as he turned his attention back to Tsunade once the fox bolted out of the room.

She went back to the house and slipped into an ANBU uniform. She had no mask cause it was just an outfit to move around in. She just also liked the ANBU uniform that Kakashi gave her since it was now too small and seemed to fit her well. It was her outfit for the night because it was easy to wear and the armor would keep her fairly safe from any sneak attack.

Once she was comfortable, she grabbed her music player and headed outside. Her green eyes flashed a bit as they adjusted to the darkness with nothing but a few streetlights and the full moon as her true light. She turned on her music and turned it up a bit as she walked around town and admired how the moon made almost everything glow.

* * *

Her white wolf tail moved with her footsteps, the black tip making a small wagging motion, as she walked in the darkness. She had felt a little edgy tonight, just rubbing her head and running her fingers through her dark red hair for a while until she looked up at the sky and saw the moon.

"Damn. Already that time." The girl mumbled to herself, with her wolf ears flattening. Full moons were her worst nightmare, mostly.

_**You know it's my time to play…**_ Came a sly voice in her head. Then it made a chilling whisper as the voice finished its sentence. _**… Akumi.**_

* * *

From far away, the man kept dashing through the trees and running at full speed as fast as his body could let him. He was running around in search for his sister, this redhead like himself with her white wolf features having black tips at the ends. Sweat started to form on his face and chest as he began to head closer to the streets of Konoha. He looked up to see the full moon had become visible through the night clouds and became deeply worried.

_This is not good at all_. He thought. _The blood in her is awakening_. _I need to get to onee-san before something bad happens_.

As he got further into town, he spotted Akumi and saw her features grow. Her hair was changing to a more violent red, her aura becoming black. The signs of the vampire blood inside were awakening as the moon grew stronger in the night. His eyes widened and he ran faster. "Onee-san!" he cried, hoping she would hear. "Onee-san!"

Akumi didn't hear him. She looked up and saw a girl with three foxtails and was dressed in an ANBU uniform with earpieces clipped in her fox ears… she was alone under the moonlight. Her ears twitched, as she got closer to the girl, curious as to why those three tails looked oddly familiar. Her brother ran even faster so he could be able to grab her fast before she was able to hurt anyone.

* * *

As the tension became clear, Puppy felt something weird… another aura. No, two; there is another one in the distance. Both of their auras were gray, which meant whoever was behind her were Ainoko, hybrids of different daemon blood. But she could sense that the one closest to her… their gray aura started to have a touch of black; not a good sign. If she remembered right, black meant vampire. Her fox ears went straight up and she turned around to see a wolf girl walking towards her. She looked a bit familiar, but it was dark out and she didn't want to risk getting herself in danger, so Puppy pulled a small tanto out from its scabbard strapped to her waist and prepared for an attack. Puppy waited very patiently to see if this wolf would make a move. This person was so close to stepping into the moonlight; maybe Puppy could see their face and know just who it is. But before the wolf could get towards her, the other Ainoko knocked her down, back into the darkness.

"No Onee-san! Control yourself!" He said growled as softly as he could to the girl.

Puppy watched as the girl slowly fainted, still in the dark where her features were hidden from her eyes. If it weren't for the streetlights messing with her night vision, she might've seen, but she didn't trust herself. Puppy didn't trust this man either, since he just tackled the wolf down, so she still readied. The daemon noticed that she was uncomfortable about this new situation that had suddenly arisen, so he tried to lighten the situation by stepping into the area of the streetlight and gave a very friendly smile.

The violet eyes that he had were kind and generous, his hair red, but it was blood red, unlike the bright cherry red common in the Uzumaki clan. He wore fingerless gloves very similar to Kakashi's, yellow baggy jeans, and a large green scarf was tucked in them, draping around his left shoulder and the whole left half of his body. It wasn't much in the way of a t-shirt, but the cloth exposed the large scar starting at the top of his right shoulder and sliding right down into his hip, the end of the scar hidden by the jeans. A burn shaped like a star was plain to see right between his collarbones. He looked like a charmer the way he smiled softly and sweetly, but Puppy still held her ground.

"My apologies about this." He said to the fox. "I hope we didn't cause any worry in you. I should be more polite too. I'm Damien Hirogatsu."

Puppy lowered her sword as she took this all in. "N-no… no worry." Even though she said it, she was a bit edgy due to how fast this was all coming at her. "Nice to meet you, I guess… Damien. I am Puppy Hatake."


	2. We Meet Again

**We Meet Again**

Damien nodded to Puppy and then picked up the girl. She watched him put the girl on his back and begin to leave. Seeing as this wasn't a threat, she put the sword back in its sheath. She was about to walk away when she also remembered her manners and turned around to see that Damien had done the same.

"I hope to meet again Puppy-san." Damien said sweetly.

The fox nodded to him with a friendly smile. "The same here." She said.

Damien turned and bean to dash off, leaving Puppy just standing there and watching. When he was almost out of sight, he turned his head so he could see the fox out of the corner of his eyes and shouted, "Farewell!" And after Damien was out of sight, Puppy began to ponder.

_That wolf girl_… Puppy thought. _Who was she? Why did she look so familiar? And why was Damien-kun so worried about her? She looked fine_. _Was she ill?_

Puppy shrugged and was about to head back to the academy… again. But then she had this crazy idea of following Damien to see what was up. But just as quickly as she thought of it, she shook her head, trying to rid herself of the thought, for it sounded crazy. But she wanted to know what was up with the girl and why Damien was so worried. Her head began to hurt.

"But I wanna find out. I'm always like that." Puppy said to herself. She thought about the situation some more and just stood there in the empty street.

* * *

Damien put Akumi on her bed and let her rest. Just as soon as he did, a boy that appeared a bit younger than Damien with spikey red hair, a tan jacket, and a blood red headband with no symbol on it peeked into the room with two girls following. One was much younger than the other (and the boy in front of her) and had short red hair that touched her shoulders, crimson eyes, a white tank top, and plain blue jeans. The other one appeared much older than the younger girl and she had flaming blood red hair up to her chin, a red sleeveless crop-top jacket with a white t-shirt underneath, and a short red skirt. The three of them looked at Damien first and then looked at the wolf that was asleep in bed.

"The vampire in her is awakening isn't it?" The older girl asked.

Damien nodded. "I'm afraid so."

"Should we give her room?" The younger one asked in concern.

"No, Aoishi." Came a reply from behind her; a girl that looked a lot like the youngest walked into the room. The two were definite twins, but the one that just walked in had red hair was up to her earlobes, and she was also wearing a white tank top, but her jeans were a darker blue and they had holes and tears from the knees down. "We need someone to help."

"But who could help our sister?" Aoishi asked her twin.

"Maybe someone from the academy?" Damien suggested.

"The academy?" The younger boy asked. "Who? You know Lord Hokage or Tsunade-sama wouldn't do something like this for our sister, nor would any other ninja. Hidden Leaf ninja do not approve of our kind."

"We have to try, Ryushi." Damien reasoned with his younger brother. He turned to face his siblings and added; "Watch her while I fetch someone." And he disappeared.

* * *

Puppy decided not to follow Damien and had gone back to the academy, thinking maybe she'd talk with her friends some more before she and Kakashi retired for the night. She also figured Kakashi would become worried if she didn't return soon.

"Oh well. I'll guess I will see Damien-kun again sometime." Puppy said to herself. _And maybe he can tell me more about that girl_.

Puppy opened the academy doors and walked inside as she slowly drove those questions from her mind. Before she headed down the hall, as luck would have it, Damien dashed from around a corner and appeared right in front of Puppy. Not even expecting him right here and now, she got startled and stepped back in surprise. Damien noticed that he had ran into the fox yet again and smiled to her.

"Well we meet again." He said, making a slight and quick bow.

Puppy blinked. "Oh. Hi Damien-kun. W-what are you doing here so quickly?"

"I need to find someone to help with my sister." Damien asked. "Someone who knows the Hirogatsu Clan. Do you think you have an idea where I can find someone who knows?"

Puppy thought for a moment and said the first thing that came to her mind. "Hirogatsu, wait, I think I've heard of that name before. My sensei could help; he knows that clan a lot better than I do..."

Damien looked at her with a serious look when she gave him what he needed. Then he picked her up in a bridal style and started to run down the hall. "Great! So where is your sensei?" Damien asked.

Before Puppy could say anything, as if on cue, Kakashi appeared from around the corner on the other side of the hallway and pretty much in front of Damien since he was running fairly quick. The minute saw him carrying Puppy; he stood very still and took in the scene. He didn't find this a threat since Puppy wasn't screaming.

"Um… okay…?" he asked, confused.

Puppy smiled and jumped out of Damien's arms once the daemon came to a halt. "Oh good! You're here! Damien-kun needs your help!"

_Damien huh?_ Kakashi thought. He looked to face the red haired daemon and said, "How can I help?"

"You're… Kakashi…?" Damien said, a little bewildered. When Kakashi nodded to his statement along with a raised eyebrow, the scarlet-haired Ainoko smirked and asked, "I'm sure you can help me with this, but do you know of the Hirogatsu clan?"

Kakashi's eyes lit up as that name rang through his head like a church bell. _Hirogatsu. That's…_ "Yes of course I do. Why?"

Damien nodded. "Right. Well c'mon, I need you to help."

Once Damien turned around, one of his sisters, the twin with short red hair, the ragged jeans, and those annoyed crimson eyes, appeared at the doorway with her hands on her hips and a serious look on her face. Damien merely smiled to her like he always does.

"Hello Aumi." He said to the girl.

Aumi made an annoyed face to match the annoyance in her eyes and nodded to her brother. She looked behind him and saw Kakashi, stood there bewildered as well, but eventually shook her head, got her face straight again, and pointed at him.

"You must be Kakashi." Aumi said, then she got a smirk on her face as she raised that finger upward and made a gesture for him to come closer. "Come, follow us please."

Puppy quickly got upset that these daemons were treating him like a semi-slave. But Kakashi was used to it, so he simply nodded and followed Aumi and Damien as they walked out of the academy and headed into the woods. Puppy huffed once but eventually followed behind Kakashi as the four of them headed into the woods.

About fifteen minutes of walking they came to a house that seemed like it had been there for decades. Aumi opened the door and signaled Kakashi and Puppy to come in. They went up to a room until Damien stopped Kakashi, causing Puppy to bump into him by accident.

"I need to tell you something." Damien said. When he saw Puppy rubbing her head out of clumsiness, he added, "Alone."

Kakashi nodded and looked down at Puppy. "Go with the girl over there okay? I'll be there in a minute."

Puppy looked at Damien for a minute before she nodded and followed Aumi into a room. Kakashi followed Damien into another room across the hall and then the scarlet-haired daemon turned and faced Kakashi with his violet eyes becoming serious.

"My onee-san. She is part vampire. She has vampire features that grow during certain times and Jutsus don't work usually. We know she knows you and we're hoping you would calm her down." Damien said.

His heart skipped one beat as the words "part vampire" and "knows you" rang into his mind. He wasn't believing who he could be facing "And your 'Onee-san' is…?" Kakashi asked, preparing for the name.

"Our older sister, Akumi." Damien said, a smile crossing his face.

Kakashi's eyes widened and his heart stopped. His old friend, that sneaky yet understanding wolf he met just over a year ago. He had thought about her for all this time. Now he gets to see her again. He smiled under his mask and nodded once he caught his breath again. "I guess I can try." When Damien smirked about his response, Kakashi asked, "How is she part vampire anyway?"

"Our mother, Renee, married Michel, who was a cursed vampire. The vampire blood infects the oldest child and that was Akumi." Damien said. "Even though the rest of us do not appear like wolves, it is probably because we take the forms of our father, but are not affected by his curse."

The Yajukage nodded as he took a moment to understand it all.

"Now c'mon." Damien said and headed out of the room. Kakashi sighed as he prepared himself to see her again, and followed behind him.


	3. You're Here

**You're Here**

Puppy sat over by the wall and hugged her knees as she waited for Kakashi to come. Aumi and her siblings were crowded around the wolf girl as she slowly awakened and sat up. When Puppy heard stirring, she watched her and one of her tails wagged to show her curiosity.

_Now I'll find out about that girl_. Puppy thought.

Akumi woke up and looked at whom Puppy was introduced to as Ryushi and she gave him a look of disbelief.

"Onee-san. You're awake." Ryushi said with a childish smile.

"Yeah well what's it to ya?" the wolf said.

"We found someone who might help you." Aoishi said sweetly.

"Who could help me?" The girl said as she tried to get past the crowd and out of the room.

Puppy's ears went up as she got a good look at the girl's face. She knew now who it was. It was Akumi. Puppy remembered Akumi from when she first came to Konoha about a year ago when she had run into Akumi by accident in the woods that bordered Akuma and Konoha. Puppy found it funny that her name sounded a lot like the name of her village, but liked her nevertheless. After befriending each other, she had led Akumi to Kakashi where she watched Akumi tease him in a flirtatious way. Later on that day, she had become injured for some reason and, now that she looked back on it, Puppy took a wild guess that Akumi liked her father and the fox was certain that, despite her refusals, Akumi felt so elated when she figured that Kakashi's protection meant that he liked her. But even so, Akumi was always trying to keep Kakashi from doing his things he believes helped others, when what they really do is help people and hurt him. The Jutsu that he used when he discovered that she was injured… he was so weak from it that he finally recovered from it four months ago.

As Akumi worked her way out the door, she saw Puppy sitting there and both the girls' eyes widened at the sight of each other.

"Akumi-chan!" Puppy said happily. "Long time no see!"

"Puppy?" Akumi said in shock. _If Puppy's here then that means_… She gasped a she face turned bright red with embarrassment. _Kakashi's here!_

Akumi quickly spun around, jumped in her bed, and buried her face in the pillow to hide the blush on her face. Aumi smiled and Aoi, the older sister, giggled. Aoishi just stared.

"What's the matter onee-san?" Ryushi said without a shred of concern in his voice.

Akumi grabbed the covers and pulled them over her head and yelled into the pillow.

Puppy just blinked in confusion. When things began to get tense, she turned to the door to see Damien and Kakashi walk in. Damien observed the scene and made a sly smirk.

"Dad!" Puppy shouted excitingly as she ran to Kakashi and hugged him tight. Kakashi smiled and patted her on the head.

"Onee-san, Kakashi's here." Ryushi said to Akumi quietly.

Akumi screamed into the pillow in frustration. Though the scream was slightly muffled by the pillow, Kakashi looked up away from the three-tailed fox and noticed that red hair with its silver highlights and those not-hard-to-miss wolf ears. He smirked under his mask just slightly before he walked over towards to bed.

"You must excuse our onee-san." Ryushi said while scratching the back of his head. "It might take some time for her to get out of her bed."

Akumi growled at Ryushi and his eye twitched as his guard went up. Kakashi knew who it was so he said, "You're here… Akumi."

Akumi lifted her head from the pillow and out of the covers and looked up at Kakashi before looking to the side. "Yes I am. What are you doing here?"

"I was brought here by Damien and Aumi. Was I not supposed to come?" Kakashi asked.

Akumi scowled at Damien and he signaled his siblings to leave the room. Puppy fidgeted a bit, for she didn't know if she should stay or leave with the siblings. Kakashi didn't tell her anything about what she should be doing, so she stayed behind but kept her distance. Once the siblings were all the way downstairs, Akumi sat up and still looked to the side.

"I bet this was Damien's idea." Akumi said.

"It could have possibly." Kakashi said. "But I haven't seen you since the last time I was in the village. Which was a year ago…"

"So where were you?" she asked.

"My village, Akumagakure. Konoha isn't my home village, you know." Kakashi said.

Akumi hugged her knees and then looked at Kakashi, her ears twitching a bit. Puppy leaned against a wall and eventually sank to the floor and crossed her legs. Akumi glanced at Puppy and then back to Kakashi. She noticed he looked uneasy and his chakra felt a bit off balance. It took a moment for Akumi to remember why. A year ago he had used a powerful technique, the Catalyst Jutsu, that, in a destructive way, kills people and is more powerful than the Lightning Blade.

Akumi had done research on such a move since their last encounter. What she learned was that the Catalyst Jutsu has two sides, deadly and healing. When deadly, it appears in the form of white flames and only one flame covered a hand of the user. Toxins are visible in the form of a red middle inside the white flame that envelops each of the user's hands. It tracks down open wounds, absorbs into them, and quickly kills blood vessels as it works its way to the heart. It kills humans instantly but brings down a daemon in one minute flat.

Then, the healing form of the Jutsu: the healing form is still in the form of a white flame but no toxins, as people could tell by no red middle inside the fire. The user can use the healing state as a chakra and energy recovery item. Since the white flames are pure positive energy, the flames find the major injuries, absorb into them, and quickly heal the one injured without feeling any pain at all. However, depending on how hard the user uses it, he or she pays the price by having their chakra disrupted and drained so rapidly that it's thrown off balance beyond medical repair. If overused, they can get weak and shaky and all others can do is be patient with their recovery; possibly even keeping the person from using chakra for any reason… and for a very long time. The user must wait for it to rebalance and cannot perform any Jutsus that require huge amounts of chakra; or even sealing techniques and summoning Jutsus. If they do while their chakra is unbalanced, their chakra points in their network will explode and they die very slowly and painfully.

Because of what the Catalyst Jutsu can do in both death and health, every country has labeled it a forbidden Jutsu. Except Akuma, were Kakashi and his teammates learned the Jutsu from their sensei. But what few knew was that Minato told them to use it only for life and death situations and if the ones extremely precious to you are in need.

Akumi remembered at a year ago, Kakashi had used the Catalyst Jutsu on her so she could recover faster from the open injuries she received from fighting with her vampire form and they couldn't heal. Even though she didn't want him to use it, he did when she passed out due to an infection from one of the open wounds. Akumi guessed he was still recovering from the time he used it on her. It was a little off balance so she guessed he was almost back to normal.

"You're still recovering aren't you?" Akumi said, once she stopped thinking.

Kakashi knew what she was talking about so he replied, "I am fine. It's just I need to relax a bit more. Its kind of why I'm back. I decided to take a vacation."

Akumi sensed that Ryushi and Damien were listening to their conversation and she growled to let them knew she could sense them. They quickly ran from the door.

Kakashi merely laughed. "Do you want to leave or something?"

"I would like to come back to the academy with you, yes." Akumi said. "I can get away from my siblings that way."

He smiled. "Alright then, let's go. I kinda feel weird with having your siblings trying to eavesdrop."

Akumi nodded in agreement and then ran downstairs. "Okay then, let's go!" She said.

Kakashi watched that her attitude quickly changed and just stood, stared, and sighed. He eventually walked over to Puppy and picked her up the way you would a young child and started to carry her downstairs just for the heck of it. She giggled at how he could carry her and not stumble as he walked. He went downstairs and outside with Akumi as she waited for them to show up. She shook her head with a smirk on her face.

"Now don't go thinking that I'll be carrying you if you can't walk anymore." Akumi said.

"I'm fine. Really." Kakashi said. He lost control of the ability to carry her and his knees began to give in. Puppy rolled her eyes; she knew that was going to happen.

"Tou-san, I think you should let me down. I don't wanna hurt you." Puppy said.

"I'm fine, besides it'll give me some work to do. I mean its hard carrying a 13-year-old when you haven't been training for a year." Kakashi said. _And boy did I let my body get weak during that time_.

Puppy shrugged while it was Akumi's turn to roll her eyes. As the Hatake started to shift Puppy a little, Akumi gave a warm smile as she started to remember how, when he talked to her in her room, his words and his tone of voice made him sound like… he liked her. Her face got a little color to it and her heart beat a little harder when she started to think, _Does he… feel the same way… that I do for him?_

Lost in thought for a second, she shook her head to rid of her thoughts; just in time for Kakashi to divert his attention back to her and give a guilty smile while Puppy had an annoyed look on her face and just merely crossed her arms.

"Are you okay?" He asked, sounding concerned.

Akumi's face returned its color a little and replied, "N-no, it's nothing, really. Come on, let's get going."

Kakashi nodded and started to follow. But before they could leave, Damien came out of the house and got behind Kakashi.

"You leaving?" Damien asked in a childish tone.

"Maybe." Puppy said in the same tone, but the way she said it was smart alec.

Damien gave a grin and was going to reply back until he noticed Kakashi's knees shaking a bit. The silver haired Yajukage gave a very small stumble; unnoticeable to Puppy's part. With that, the scarlet haired Ainoko got in front of the two, grabbed Puppy out of Kakashi's arms, and set her down.

"Here you go. Hey Akumi, you should be concerned about your lover when he's got a problem." Damien said in a dull tone, even though he meant to tease her.

To his delight, it worked.

"Damien!" Akumi screamed in rage while her face was turning red.

Simultaneously, Kakashi and Puppy shouted in confusion, "Lover?"

"Yep. Well aren't you?" Damien asked with a smirk on his face.

"Whoa, hey now." Kakashi said putting his hands beside his head in surrender. "For one, Akumi and I are just friends, that's all."

As Kakashi was trying to defend himself in front of Damien, all the sounds faded from Akumi's ears and her thoughts were now the only things she could hear.

_Just… friends?_ Akumi's eyes widened for a second before they saddened. _He really doesn't… feel the same way about me. Typical humans. I should have known… _With that, she ran past the three of them and into the house. Leaving only Kakashi in utter puzzlement.

"What? What did I say?"

Puppy then realized that Akumi's teasing a year ago was really true; she had deep feelings for Kakashi. Damien's eyes saddened as he briefly glanced back at the Hatake and realized that he shouldn't have teased Akumi; he was certain that Kakashi did like his sister, but he guessed he was wrong.

Akumi ran passed the kitchen where Ryushi was attempting to make himself a salad. He got a glimpse of her as she ran up to her room and slammed the door. Ryushi slowly creeped his way up the stairs and knocked on the door, hoping she would talk to him.

"Nee-chan? Nee-chan, what's…" before he could finish, he heard his sister seal her door. The sealing sounded a lot different than most sealing techniques. It took him a minute to realize what Akumi had done.

"Oh no! Akumi preformed father's seal." Ryushi gasped. "Damien!"

Damien heard Ryushi's scream and all three of them ran back into the house.


	4. I Should Have Told Her

**I Should Have Told Her**

Akumi started being angry with herself while she paced her room.

"So that's all I am? A friend? Damnit my father warned me about him." She sobbed.

She sat on her bed and became pissed as the tears began to roll down her face. She had really thought that Kakashi had the same feelings for her as she did him. But she obviously thought she was wrong.

Outside the door, Ryushi and the other siblings were waiting for her to come out. Damien and Kakashi came to the door and Ryushi whispered the news to Damien.

"Damn." Damien mumbled.

"What's the matter with Akumi?" Kakashi inquired.

Damien looked at Kakashi and replied coldly, "Nevermind." The Hatake blinked in bewilderment at the response, but Damien simply faced his siblings and said, "Back to your rooms. This is something out of our hands."

"Where's your student Kakashi?" Aumi said flatly.

"I sent her back to the academy for the night." He said. Concern showed in his eyes, for he really truly did not understand what just happened.

Aumi just shrugged and everyone went to his or her rooms. Then the hall became silent with only the sound of Akumi's crying. Kakashi was about to turn around and leave, before he looked back at Akumi's door. Then it hit him; he realized what happened.

"_We're just friends, that's all_._"_ Kakashi thought. He let out a comprehending sigh and his eyes saddened.

Thinking that no one could hear him, Kakashi pressed his forehead against the sealed door of Akumi's room and clenched his fist. "I knew it. I must have been out of my mind. I had to say we were just friends. I didn't want to say it… in front of her siblings… but…" a tear welled up in his eye for the first time in over 20 years.

In the room, Akumi stopped crying enough to hear Kakashi through the door. "Ka… Kakashi…?" she said to herself. She sniffled and listened to Kakashi scold himself.

"I should have said it. I shouldn't have told him we were friends right in front of her." Kakashi shed a tear and sank to the floor. "I should have told her I loved her…" He raised his head up and his gaze went right through the door before placing his forehead back on it. "I'm so sorry…"

Akumi's eyes widened. _So he really does love me?_ She wanted to run to him, but she realized that she was now trapped in her room… with one way out. "Kakashi! Kakashi, can you hear me?" Akumi shouted.

Kakashi lifted his head at the sound of Akumi shouting. "Akumi? Akumi! What is it?"

"Kakashi, in order for you to get me out, you must cut your hand a little and slam into the door but place the blood on the middle of the seal." Akumi said.

Kakashi stood back from the door and pulled out a kunai. He was desperate to get to her. For once he wasn't going to be rational. He impulsively cut his hand until it bled continuously and he thrusted his arm back and slammed his hand into the door. The seal then became visible on his end, it's center surrounding his hand, as Akumi had told him.

Akumi smiled as the seal broke and the door came down. Kakashi stood there with a look of concern on his face.

"Akumi… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that. I didn't realize…" Kakashi said, feeling guilty.

"It doesn't matter anymore." Akumi said with a smile on her face.

Kakashi walked over and sat on her bed. "I just didn't want to admit it in front of your siblings. They'd probably be telling everyone, you know. I mean, I don't know them that well, but they definitely look like gossipers to me."

"Yes I can relate to that feeling." Akumi said as she looked to the side again.

Kakashi then quickly got distracted when his glove felt damp. He had forgotten the blood. He could feel it bleeding like crazy. Under his breath, he mumbled, "Chikushou…"

_Damn?_ Akumi knew what he said and she even smelled the blood dripping from his fingertips. "You always get into trouble. Here, let me help." She got up and started searching through a bag over by wall.

"Not always. S-sorry. I just wanted to get to you." Kakashi said. He paused for a second, trying to realize what he was feeling. Usually he was never impulsive.

Akumi blushed but he didn't see it. She found some bandages in a bag and went over and wrapped up Kakashi's hand in the bandage. He clenched the bandage around his hand to get the feel of it.

"There. Feel better?" Akumi asked.

Kakashi nodded. "Yes, I think it'll manage."

Akumi looked at Kakashi and asked, "Hey can I come with you to the academy? I kinda want to get away from my siblings."

Kakashi thought for a minute before saying, "Weren't we going to originally? Again, I guess it wouldn't hurt. I got all the time in the world before…" he paused for a minute and looked to the side.

"Before what?" Akumi asked.

"Before Puppy and I return to the Hidden Daemon in two days." Kakashi said.

Akumi's ears twitched. "Oh… I see."

There was a long, awkward silence, so she got up and went downstairs, in which he slowly trailed behind. She went into the kitchen and started to chop up the vegetables that she was supposed to chop up for dinner… and Ryushi did a bad job of cutting. Kakashi appeared behind her and said, "I have an idea."

"And that would be?" She asked, still cutting up the vegetables.

"Come with me to Akuma." Kakashi said. "I'm sure you want to get away from your siblings and you can stay with Puppy and me. She seems to take a liking to you in an idol way. Unlike other girls that fall for me."

Akumi's ears sank. "I don't know…"

"Please?" he said, half begging.

"I guess I could go." She said with a smile.

"Great! In three days we'll be off to The Hidden Daemon." He said in the most cheerful tone of voice Akumi has ever heard.

She smiled and put the vegetables in a bowl. Who would of thought that a girl like her could have such an influence on a ninja like him?


	5. Me And My Impulsive Mouth

**Me And My Impulsive Mouth**

Kakashi smiled wide under his mask. He was happy that she decided to come with him. Akumi could tell that he was happy. He sat down on a chair and was about to cross his arms when he felt something warm and wet on his hand… again. His happiness faded away.

"Damn…" he mumbled.

Akumi smelled the blood now dripping from Kakashi's middle fingertip and her ears pulled back in frustration. "That wound is open again?" She said.

Kakashi made a guilty facial expression and made a small guilty laugh. She shook her head slightly and then held up her pointer finger.

"You stay right there. I'll be right back." She said and then she ran upstairs into her room.

Kakashi stayed put. He clenched his bleeding hand for a few seconds hoping that delayed the bleeding for a second. Akumi came down when he reopened his hand and she held up some green liquid.

"I made this. It should help seal the wound." She said as she poured it on his wound. Kakashi winced for a split second has he felt the liquid touch his injured hand. "Now we know not to be so careless. Right Kakashi?" Akumi said. Then she smirked.

"I didn't mean to. I just wanted to get to you." He said.

She blushed slightly and then she put new bandages around his hand. He clenched it tight and reopened his hand again.

"It needs to be tight like that. So doing that is good." She said.

Kakashi nodded and stood up. He leaned against the wall and watched Akumi walk over and set the bowl of vegetables off to the side.

"I remember… my mother saying that she… had always wanted me to…" she started, blushing at the last two words.

Kakashi's raised an eyebrow and took a wild guess. "…Get… married…?"

Akumi's eyes widened at bit and she faced Kakashi with a deep red blush. "No… not that… it's…" She stopped short as she saw Damien and Ryushi looking into the kitchen.

"Oh Nee-chan!" Ryushi said to Damien. "Wait till the others hear about this!!"

"Ryushi! Damien!" Akumi shouted.

They laughed and dashed off before she could get a chance to grab them. Her ears flattened in fear and she began to pace the room. Kakashi leaned even more heavily against the wall and his eyelids halfway closed and the look in his eyes showed one of irritance.

"Me and my impulsive mouth…" he mumbled.

Akumi looked at Kakashi. "Its not your fault."

"Yeah but I shouldn't of said anything. It was just a simple question, I wasn't trying to start something. I didn't even know they were right there." He huffed real quick, but wasn't flustered. "I should have sensed them though…" Kakashi said as he blamed himself more and more with each word. Quickly, he added, "Can we think of an excuse? Anything?"

"They won't believe it." Akumi said, still pacing. "I can never make them listen to me. They won't believe it. I guess now I am marrying you."

Kakashi blinked, in total loss for words. Akumi's ears flattened and she paced around the kitchen again. Watching her pace made him dizzy. He rubbed his head and sighed. Akumi stopped pacing when she heard him sigh.

"I'm sorry…" he said slowly.

"I said don't blame yourself." Akumi replied.

Kakashi looked down at his feet. Her ears lowered and then she started walking towards the stairs. She went up and paced her room for a quick second to gather her thoughts and then began to come straight back down. On her way down, she tripped on something and fell down a few stairs. Kakashi heard her fall and ran towards the stairs and up to her.

"Akumi, what's wrong? What happened?" He asked.

"I tripped over something…" she mumbled as she rubbed her head.

They both looked to see a box. It was just a regular old box and it seemed harmless. Despite that it was the cause of Akumi's fall. She crawled up the two stairs she fell on and up to the box. It was kind of damaged from when Akumi hit it, but she ran her fingers on the box till she found what she was looking for. She found that the box was for her and Kakashi. It was written on the box in permanent marker. She ran a sharp nail through the tape and looked inside. Then she quickly closed it with a bright red blush across her face.

"What? What's in there? Let me see." Kakashi said taking the box out of her hands gently. "It has my name on it too."

Kakashi opened the box and looked in to see that inside the box was the newest addition of the Make Out series that he used to read. He blinked a couple of times in surprise, for people in Konoha knew by now that he no longer has a craving for those porn books any longer. And it was the version Naruto tried to write, no less. He tried not to laugh, so he continued to blink until Akumi ran back into her room again.

"Akumi…" He said, letting out a chuckle before putting the box down and walking up into her room.

She was sort of cleaning her room a bit and organizing things on her bookshelf. More than likely, trying to take her mind off her siblings' prank. Kakashi walked a little closer to her as she approached the bookshelf again with two scrolls in her hands that she grabbed from the bed.

_My brothers are bakas_. Akumi thought. _Giving Kakashi and me a new Make Out series_.

"Akumi. Just to inform you. I'm not in my twenty's anymore. I'm 43 and I've grown out of those books. I have no need for them anymore…"

She seemed to understand that Kakashi was trying to tell her that she shouldn't take that little gift seriously. Since it was mean to be a joke in some harassing way. She stood quiet and didn't move for a bit. Kakashi began to feel uncomfortable in the room with a heavy atmosphere and silence.

_Because of my impulsive mouth, she's gonna be my wife_. _Geese, talk about jumping the gun,_ Kakashi thought. Then something else came to mind and he began to fidget. _I wonder if she's comfortable enough to_…

He walked closer to Akumi. He was about to ask her something, but it slipped his mind and his tongue tied up fast. He couldn't say anything till his thoughts gathered up again.

Akumi had her face away from him. But her Hirogan, the Hirogatsu Kekkei-Genkai, was activated and she could sense his body language and read some of his mixed up thoughts.

Her eyes were no longer green; they now looked like a white Sharingan with a shuriken shape in her pupils. Her clan's Kekkei-Genkai could read people's thoughts through body movement which is just as handy as a Sharingan. But the Hirogan could never memorize a Jutsu like the Sharingan could.

Kakashi tried to put his hand on her shoulder, but he slowly put his hand down. He slowly sighed a soft sigh and closed his eyes briefly.

Akumi smirked and her eyes became green again. "I know what you want." She said. "So I'll do it for you."

When Kakashi opened his eyes in surprise of her words, Akumi spun around, pulled down his mask, and kissed him right on the lips.


	6. The Fun Begins

**The Fun Begins**

Kakashi's eyes widened and his breathing was a little heavy from the sudden kiss. Yet he replied it and put a hand on her hip. She made a soft loving growl and kissed his neck. He shut his eyes as he let out a quick breath before kissing her and moving towards her bed. She turned and jumped on the bed and Kakashi followed. He continued his kissing and she would occasionally growl with pleasure.

"Quick and eager, aren't we?" Akumi said and then started kissing his neck again.

"Look who's talking." Kakashi replied.

He put his hands on her hips and she growled again. She unzipped his vest and threw it on the floor. She started removing his shirt and he let her willingly. When she started kissing him again, he started removing her shirt. She made a teasing fuss about it, but she eventually smirked and helped get it off faster. He stopped for a brief moment as she threw her shirt on the floor, opposite side of the bed to where his vest lied.

"So… what have you learned from those Make Out books anyway?" She teased and began to kiss down his chest.

He closed his eyes and lost the majority of his words. "I… can't remember…much…"

He ran a hand up from her hip to her back and placed the other hand on her neck and started kissing her on the lips again. She would occasionally let out a moan but she mostly growled softly with pleasure.

Pants were next… in which Akumi got on her knees to help get his off, but he moved forward and had pushed her on her back with her head on the pillow. She ran her hands down his back until she felt his waist and ran them down to the button of his pants and successfully unbuttoned it. He felt her hands there and the minute she grabbed a hold of his pants, he stopped.

"You have a problem?" She teased.

"Too fast…"

"What?"

Kakashi sat on his legs and put his hands on his knees and let out a heavy sigh. "Too fast. I never thought I'd be doing this on a first date."

Akumi's ears twitched a bit, with her hands still grasping the pockets of his pants, and her tail made one swish. She then tilted her head slightly and said, "Awww come on. You men normally enjoy it when a woman pounces on you."

"You men? What, have you done this before?"

Akumi's face slowly turned red. "Um… no, not really…"

"Oh good then it's not just me." Kakashi said blinking a bit.

Akumi paused and looked at him wide eyed and said, "You've never done this before?"

"No." He said simply. "Not until I found the right person."

Akumi smiled and then gave a sly smirk as she got closer to him and purred, "So then I take it I'm lucky." She got closer to his face as he shut his eyes only for a brief moment to take it all in. "What are we waiting for? I could sense that you wanted this."

_Damn it…_ Kakashi thought so pleasurably. He leaned in again for a kiss and Akumi gave a smirk.

"Oh but first… let me finish…" Then she pulled his pants down.

_Tease…_ He groaned in his thoughts. He didn't want to feel like Akumi had the advantage here, not especially that his first time could be an embarrassing time.

Akumi eventually pulled him closer and then pushed him down so she was on top and Kakashi merely chuckled. She leaned in again and started removing her pants. Her tail swished and wagged as she gave another playful growl and continued kissing him on the lips. He leaned up to kiss her neck and down as she gave a quiet moan.

The others couldn't hear anything. And to much of Akumi and Kakashi's advantage, they were actually all asleep.

* * *

In the mourning he woke up to find himself in the bed. Akumi was purring a bit and her head was on his chest. He couldn't tell if it was a real purr or if it was happy growling, but he could tell she was content. He turned his head and noticed all of his clothes were on the floor. And he saw _all_ of his clothes, from the shirts and pants to… _is that Akumi's bra?_ He blinked in shock as he finally woke up from the sudden scenery in the room.

There had definitely been sex. He did remember the whole thing. He knew he enjoyed it; he knew there was more foreplay than actual sex. But the fact that it actually happened for the first time was a bit of a surprise. All these years of waiting for the right girl; who would have thought that this sly little wolf daemon would be "the right girl" he was saving for.

He stared at his clothes on the floor, never forgetting the fact that Akumi ripped his pants off him. Kakashi sat up and looked on the other side of the bed to see most of Akumi's clothes in a messy pile off to the side. He rubbed his Sharingan eye and slowly felt a bit of his chakra drain when it activated. That was when Akumi woke suddenly when she felt Kakashi sit up and she blinked curiously at her bedmate getting used to his surroundings again.

He sensed her waking presence and turned to look at her turquoise eyes flicker with humor. He smirked at her and then made an elongated blink to try his best to look at her with both eyes and deactivate his Sharingan simultaneously.

Akumi chuckled a little and sat up also. She could tell Kakashi wanted his Sharingan to deactivate so she reached over and managed to grab his headband. She slowly ran her hands across the Akuma symbol. That interesting symbol which consisted of a circle with a unique, bold, and curvy triangle had brought some sort of memory; she remembered seeing it once. She lowered it from her gaze and wondered where Kakashi's Konoha headband was.

"Here." Akumi said, handing him his headband.

Kakashi nodded and took the headband and put it back on his head and slid it over his Sharingan. Akumi got behind him and kissed his left shoulder blade and went up to his neck. He took in the pleasurable comfort and softly sighed and made a sort of relieved humming sound. He was practically enjoying himself until he forgot one thing: the siblings. He even forgot they existed last night.

"Oh shit." Kakashi mumbled.

Akumi blinked for a second. "What?"

"Your siblings. I forgot about them."

She smiled. "Oh yeah, them. Don't worry, I put a soundproof barrier around the door." She paused. "But just incase they get suspicious, we should dress and leave. I mean, well, you left Puppy back at the academy, didn't you?"

"Shit." Kakashi hissed.

Akumi found his hissing funny and giggled a little. "Oh hush. Just let me take a quick shower and then we'll go. Okay?"

He simply nodded.

Akumi got out of bed and quickly ran into the bathroom. Already Kakashi heard the shower turn on once she shut the door. Kakashi got out of bed and quickly grabbed his clothes and got dressed. He sat down on the bed and sighed as he waited for Akumi to finish showering. He looked over at the bathroom door and began to get ideas. After last night, the Hatake began to feel horny.

_Hn… I wonder about when she's wet… No stop that._ He violently shook his head. _Stop acting like a perv. I promised Puppy I wouldn't act like a perv._

He stopped shaking his head when he began to hear singing. He looked over to the door to hear that it was Akumi.

_**Hold on to me love**_  
_**You know I can't stay long**_  
_**All I wanted to say was I love you and I'm not afraid**_  
_**Can you hear me?**_  
_**Can you feel me in your arms?**_

Kakashi slowly got closer to the door and listened to her singing. He liked her singing voice a lot. He found it entrancing for a short period of time. He sat down against the door and continued to listen.

_**Holding my last breath**_  
_**Safe inside myself**_  
_**Are all my thoughts of you**_  
_**Sweet raptured light  
**__**It ends here tonight**_

He kept listening until he heard the water turn off. He quickly got up from the door and walked over to the window to look outside. She opened the door and stuck her head outside, trying to see where he wandered.

"Are you done, my little Ainoko?" Kakashi said, chuckling a little.

Blinking at the foreign word, she slowly asked, "Ainoko?"

"Huh? Oh. Well, in the Hidden Daemon there's a specific type of daemon known as an Ainoko. They're daemons that are full-blooded, but their daemon blood is half of one daemon breed, and half of another. It just means 'hybrid' but it slowly became a common thing to call such a species." He paused to think about it. "Some use it as an insult. Others use it just to identify one another." He smiled under his mask. "So don't think I'm calling you a mutt or something. I'm just trying to give you a very short Akuma-lifestyle lesson."

"Well thank you for the education. I might need a bit more later." She said, smiling back at him.

He nodded. "Oh by the way. Nice voice."

Her face turned red with embarrassment. "Oh… y-you heard that?"

"Yeah." He simply said. Looking at her suspiciously, he asked, "Why turn red about it?"

She shook her head sharply and spat, "I'm not red! You must be still tired or something!"

_She just had sex with me, why is she blushing cause I heard her sing?_ He thought.

"Okay, fine. I don't like singing in front of others… usually. My siblings are used to it so I usually don't care. But it feels weird with you listening." She said quickly. "Besides, I didn't think I was singing that loud."

"You were. But that's okay. You have a lovely voice." He honestly complimented.

She smiled. "Thanks."

He stood up and stepped closer to her. She had gotten over her quick embarrassment and looked into his black colored eye. She noticed that from far away his natural eye looked black, but when he got close, it was actually a deep, dark brown.

"So, out the window or sneak downstairs?" He asked.

Akumi blinked in surprise. "The window doesn't open…"

When that wasn't the answer he was looking for, he said, "I'm guessing you don't want more trouble with your siblings, so I figured you had a plan for getting out of your room without them knowing til later…"

Her ears twitched a few times. "Hmmm… good point. Come here."

Kakashi followed her over to her side of the bed and over near the wall. She grabbed the loose string that was easy to notice and pulled on it. A door opened and Kakashi realized that the string was a handle, and underneath is a trapdoor.

"Clever. So where's this lead to?" Kakashi asked, crossing his arms and inspecting the doorway in front of his feet.

"Outside." She said. "It will take us outside and close to the academy. Kinda useful, isn't it? I knew it would come in handy."

He smiled at her. She grinned and then waved her hands. "C'mon let's go before my siblings realize I locked you and myself in here."

She jumped into the hole in the floor and, once she landed on her feet in the hole, ran off. Kakashi smiled under his mask, jumped down also, and followed his clever little fiancée through her pathway and over to the academy, just in time for the sun to rise again.


	7. Announcement

**Announcement**

Akumi climbed up a ladder and pushed open the trapdoor that would get them out of the underground road leading them out of the Hirogatsu household. She leaped up out of the hole and looked ahead to see that there were about five trees two feet apart from each other and then the path to the Konoha gates.

"Over here." She said, looking at Kakashi as he got out of the hole and stood up.

She started walking over to the road at a slow pace until she could sense him following. But he stood still for a minute. He blinked a few times and thought about what happened the night before. He felt twisted inside. He remembered what the elder council and other ninjas of the village telling him something. He realized he might have broken one of the rules… one of the rules that could affect his clan's future.

"Kakashi? You there?"

He looked up to see Akumi standing on the road, looking at him in confusion and concern. He smiled and started to walk over to her.

"Oh it's nothing really." He said smiling. "I was just thinking of a few things. A few… classified things. You don't need to worry about them till later."

Her ears pulled back and she looked ahead at the road. "Okay…"

The both of them got to the gates, and eventually working their way to the academy, before they heard someone calling out to them, "Tou-chan! Tou-chan!"

Kakashi smiled, spun around, and just in time got Puppy wrapped in his arms.

"Yay! You're back!" Puppy cheered.

"You act as if I've been gone for 50 years." He said, watching the fox snuggle him till he felt the air in his lungs escape quicker. "Okay, okay. Easy, easy now."

"Never!" She snapped. Her expression quickly changed. "Where were you?"

She stopped suddenly and looked at Akumi standing there. The wolf daemon waved at Puppy and made a guilty smile. "Hi again Puppy."

She blinked in surprise and slowly looked up at Kakashi. "You didn't…"

"Maybe…"

"Oh my God!" Puppy leaped away from Kakashi and shook in shock. "Okay this is weird. I know one day this would happen, but I'm still not prepared to hear it…"

Kakashi laughed for a few seconds, thinking that he was going to have to say that to her someday. He put his arm around the fox Kunoichi. "It's alright so calm down."

Puppy sighed and then put on a smile. "It's okay. I was actually hoping you would hook up with such as nice girl, like Akumi-chan."

Kakashi blinked and Akumi blushed slightly. Puppy hugged him one last time and then began to complain about wanting to have some fun with the Rookie Nine before they left tomorrow. Kakashi pushed her gently in the direction of the Mess Hall and told her to go ahead. Happily, she ran to the academy and Kakashi walked behind her, Akumi slowly following him from a small distance.

_That's right._ Akumi thought as she trailed behind. _They are leaving for Akuma tomorrow. And I'll be going with them. I wonder how Puppy will react to that?_

They slowly walked to the academy (except for Puppy) and, once at the doors, Akumi got in front of Kakashi to stop him from going inside.

"Kakashi… are you going to tell anyone about the… engagement thing?" She asked, letting it out to hear the response.

"Depends if you want me to. However, they are going to figure it out sooner or later."

She blinked and thought about it real quick. "Ah hell, let's just tell her."

"Her? You mean Puppy? _Just_ Puppy?" He chuckled a little and blinked a few times. "I was more thinking of telling the Rookie Nine…"

She smirked. "The more the people, the more the shocking expressions. And that means I get to chuckle at the looks."

"I like you right now." He simply said and walked around her and into the academy.

Her ears flattened and an evil grin came across her face. She slyly followed the Hatake until she sensed and empty room near him.

"Kakashi…" She said, then in a teasing manner she added, "… sama."

He stopped dead in front of the doorway that lead into the empty room. He wouldn't think that the wolf would ever use "sama" at the end of his name. He was used to it though, since he was a Yajukage after all. But he was quickly startled at her tone of voice. He was about to turn and look at her when he noticed the empty room right next to him and figured out her plan.

_Oh god not again._ He thought, still a bit exhausted from last night's round. _I'm still wrapping my head around this whole weekend, last night even... and she expects me to keep going?_

She walked closer, a smirk spread across her face and a slight evil chuckle. Kakashi paused for a moment to look at her expression and then looked at her from head to toe. He was aroused yet again.

"To hell with exhaustion, I'm gonna get laid." He said aloud and very sarcastically.

He looked around briefly, then grabbed Akumi's hand and dragged her into the empty room. She laughed as she shut the door behind her.

Again: who would have thought that a girl like her could have such an influence on a ninja like him? A raunchy influence no less.

* * *

Puppy sat around in the main hall, talking to Shikamaru about life and other random things that eventually lead to something major down the line of conversation. In the room with them were Team 7, Team 8, Team 9, Team Gai, Kotetsu, Kurenai, Iruka, Anko, and of course Gai Maito himself. Puppy looked at the clock hanging above Shikamaru's head and her ears pulled back in frustration.

"I came to the academy with him about half an hour ago…" she complained.

"Relax…" Shikamaru groaned. "I'm sure Kakashi-sama will come back."

"Meh…" Naruto huffed. "Kakashi-sama-sensei has always been notorious for disappearing and then returning longer than you expect." For some reason, Naruto had always tried to still call Kakashi his sensei and respect him as a Kage at the same time. Tsunade told him that since he's the Rokudaime Hokage now, he'd better know how to be polite. However, "sensei" and "sama" never really did well simultaneously. At least not how Naruto was putting them together.

"Well that was when he was your Jounin teacher full time, Naruto-sama." Puppy interjected.

The Rokudaime huffed again. Hinata placed her hand on her husband's arm softly, giving him a gentle warning not to continue. Naruto chuckled at the Hyuuga and shook his head slightly.

"Relax Hinata." He said calmly. "I wasn't gonna start anything. Besides, you too will eventually be going back to The Hidden Daemon, no?"

She looked down with a look as if she forgot all about it. "That's right. I guess I have to return to Akuma as well. Being Kakashi-sama's assistant in documents is great. Though I do miss you…"

Naruto grinned. "I miss you too, but I know you always come back."

"Look on the bright side…" Hinata said, smiling softly. "Kakashi-sama has been dismissing me more so I can come back to Konoha more often."

Puppy's fox ears twitched and looked at the door, sensing two familiar auras. "Speaking of which, here they come."

"They?" Shikamaru, Naruto, and Gai asked at the same time.

Puppy opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Kakashi and Akumi. The Shinobi noticed the wolf daemon behind the silver-haired ninja and gazed in total amazement that such a girl was… well, daemon. Most had just seen the fox girl Kakashi took under his care, so to see another one was still a new amazement to the humans in the Hidden Leaf.

Sasuke whistled the usual "woo hoo!" and was slapped by his pink-haired spouse. Kiba gave her an animalistic grin, while Akamaru gave a soft growl to his master. Naruto bit his tongue; he was too loyal to Hinata that he did not dare make a sound. Announcing how he felt about the lovely older wolf trailing his sensei would get him killed.

Akumi felt the sudden stares of the human Shinobi and huffed. _Horn dogs. But then again, my husband-to-be is not any better. But that was my entire fault…_ she smirked to herself, thinking about the quick… encounter… they had a few minutes ago, which turned Kakashi uneasy. Although with the brief history lesson on her end still kept running around in her head.

* * *

_"Akumi…" Kakashi said, putting on his headband for the second time today after his wife-to-be carelessly had pulled it off his head and threw it aside._

_After putting on her cropped black tank top, she looked at him. "What is it?" she asked._

"_I know I shouldn't be complaining, cause I have a 300 year lifespan and 43 isn't a good age for me to complain about but…" He hesitated. "Can we cut back on the sex for a while?"_

_She blinked. "Uh why? You were doing such a good job at it for a second-timer."_

_He blinked. "Um… thanks?" He shook his head to try and stay on topic. "The point is… is that- like you said- this is new to me. And though it does feel good… God I'm turning into a perv… I think I can't take more than once or twice a day… my head's not in the game right now... give me maybe a week just so I get accustomed to everything that's happened. I've spent over 20 years waiting and I'm not as eager as I once was."_

_Nodding, she slowly said, "I understand. Wolves wait forever for their mates, too. We get anxious when we're young and it can fade overtime. You're my mate for life now, you know. I was just having too much fun." She chuckled softly at the end._

_He got up and put on his Ninja vest. Akumi paused for a moment, in curiosity, and then asked, "So why do I sense a different chakra when you get upset or when… you know…?"_

_He paused this time, and then said, "Oh ha, ha. Let's just not bring that part up."_

_Her ears twitched and she giggled. "But honestly…"_

_He thought for a moment before saying, "I am the last of the Hatake Clan. My clan's Kekkei-Genkai is white chakra, but it also goes by the name of Honojiroi."_

_Akumi remembered someone from way back as a little girl- when her family and clan still lived- she remembered an elder telling her that white chakra was the most incredibly powerful chakra of all the levels out there. But she remembered the old wolf telling her the white chakra was so rare and powerful that it was only a Kekkei-Genkai and was passed down to a clan… but the old wolf couldn't remember what clan. Now she knows the holder of that chakra is the human in front of her. Her future husband held the most powerful chakra around. Her ears twitched with amazement. Like the day she mastered the Hirogan all by herself._

"_You? You have the white chakra? That is amazing!" She paused. "But… if you have the white chakra, then why can I sense weak blue chakra? The weak blue chakra that every ninja has?"_

"_Its a complicated story, but I guess since you're family now, you should know." Kakashi paused for a moment to remember the whole story behind it. He sat himself on the floor and crossed his legs while he thought. "My grandfather was… cursed. He was unable to master his white chakra normally like everyone else from the clan, it's a mutated gene that suppresses our Kekkei-Genkai for the first 50 years of our lives. This curse, they call it… the Inheritance Curse, or something like that, is supposed to break after the 50 years, but the last few generations never waited that long before the new generation came about. It got passed down to my father, and then got passed to me. I heard there's a way for the clan to help shorten the time before the curse breaks, but my father didn't get the extra advantage. Mainly because the clan wasn't a true clan by the time he was born."_

"_Speaking of that, I knew the Hatake family was once a powerful Clan. What did happen?"_

"_Well, if I remember this correctly, around the time my grandfather was 15, the clan was attacked and wiped out by dog daemons in the midst of the clan wars. They think it was a dog clan from the north, but they were ambushed so quickly no one knew who it was for sure. They attacked the Uchiha and Hyuuga clans too, but because of my clan's demise, those clans managed to get by in learning from our mistakes."_

_Akumi's eyes changed. They became filled with remorse, but she kept her facial expression straight. "So it was a Dog… Daemon… Massacre?"_

_Kakashi smiled lightly. "Yes. Actually that's what everyone has dubbed it as. My grandfather and his Uncle were the only survivors. Anyway, I'm beginning to harness the white chakra as I get older, I've only got 7 years left on this curse, but the chakra won't stay for long. So that's what you're sensing."_

_Her ears dropped and her head tilted. "I'm sorry about that…"_

_Kakashi shook his head slightly. "No need to apologize, I can't pick and choose what I'm born into."_

_She smiled and walked over to him, then, just as quickly, sat down next to him and wrapped her arms around the Hatake's neck._

"_You tease." He said flatly. "One minute you want to talk, next minute to want to seduce me. You've got multiple personalities, you know that?"_

_She giggled and said, "Oh I know. That's my nature though."_

* * *

As she leaned against the wall, occasionally seeing the Inuzuka wink at her a couple of times, she was glad she was getting married to someone less weird, but still perverted. Kakashi was quickly making small talk with his students and piers and she always smiled and waved when she heard him say her name as he introduced her to everyone. But the background on his ancestry kept ringing bells in her head and loosing her concentration. She couldn't understand why, but she felt like she already knew that information. The weird thing was... she didn't. She decided to take her mind off it.

_Single or taken,_ she thought dully. _I still wish that the large dog laying down next that dumb Inuzuka would just decide to bite him in the ass for grins and giggles._

"Hey, hey! So Kakashi!" Gai called to the silver-haired Ninja as the wolf thought of things that would happen to the perverts staring at her. It broke her concentration.

"Good lord." He mumbled.

"Who brought in the red-headed wolf girl, huh?" He said. "She with you?"

"Maybe." He responded. Gai merely chuckled. He opened his mouth to talk again, but Kakashi beat him. "If you don't mind, I'm feeling a little… depleted. I don't feel like talking. Do you mind?" Kakashi didn't want to say what was wrong, cause his problem was: "_I've had my hand cut open, my world turned upside down, and have a fiancée that'd love to jump my bones again yet if I fuck one more time I'm liable to collapse cause that's what I get for not having any practice_."

"Um… sure…" Gai said with uncertainty. With that, he simply walked away.

Akumi slid down the wall and was now sitting while she was comfortably seated against the wall. Kakashi walked over and sat down next to her. His sudden sex lust left his mind once he got himself comfortably seated by her side, guess all he needed to do was get back into the rhythm of his old routine. She turned to him and smiled at him. She didn't mind large crowds- especially amongst young clowns like the ones she was surrounded by now- and she actually made herself laugh a few times when she began talk to Kakashi about what she thought up for the weird Shinobi glancing her way. Like the Inuzuka getting his ass bitten by his dog. Or the Uchiha falling face first into the female Hyuuga's lap and getting into a fistfight with the blonde Jounin with whiskers, which she guessed was the Hyuuga's husband. Or -one of her favorites- is the male Hyuuga so focused on her that he gets accidentally head butted by the idiot in a green spandex outfit and heavy-ass weights on his feet.

"I can tell there are weights on him." She pointed out. "It's all how he walks. I can tell he has to carefully set his feet down. Not like in a tired way, but like as if someone or something is holding him back. So I'm guessing they're weights?"

"Nice guess. You got it." He said, smiling under his mask.

She watched how everyone behaved in the room, from the so-called "Rookie Nine" and "Team Gai," to the Jounin teachers that trained them as young teens. She eyed how the Jounin teacher that resembled the younger one would leer at Kakashi, and the Hatake would respond with a dull, uninterested look. She could plainly see that they were rivals.

"May I try guessing them all?" She said, trying to get his mind off of the crowd.

Kakashi quickly turned his gaze to her and her sweet little look. He nodded to her question. "Of course."

She inspected the room and began to point, "I know for sure that he's an Inuzuka. I can tell by the dog and the fang-like markings on his cheeks. A member of my clan married an Inuzuka girl once, so that's how I figured it out." She pointed again. "He is no doubt a Hyuuga. I can tell by his eyes. And that Hyuuga girl too." She pointed to Hinata. "That guy… I dunno who he is, the one with whiskers. But I can tell that he must be the Hyuuga girl's spouse. And that guy, he must be an Uchiha, I see the clan insignia on his shirt. The pink haired gal I can tell she's a medical specialist cause of her posture and outfit. And those two guys that look alike must be Taijutsu specialists. I mean… with the younger one that has the weights and all… The red-eyed Kunoichi I can't quite put my finger on. And the one with the bandage on his nose I have no clue…the others I'm not so sure of."

Kakashi smiled. "You're good."

She smirked. "That must be a good sign. Now tell me their names."

Smiling, he got closer to her and began pointing, "The Inuzuka's name is Kiba Inuzuka, and his dog is Akamaru. The Hyuuga boy is Neji Hyuuga. The girl Hyuuga is Hinata Uzumaki; she's married to the whiskered boy, Naruto Uzumaki. He's actually the Rokudaime Hokage and one of my first students I passed. Hinata is my Yajukage's assistant back in Akuma; we made that agreement when I became Yajukage that having a dual assistant would help keep our village's alliance in check. She wanted to take on the task. She transports documents and messages back and forth between Naruto and I…"

Akumi nodded and looked back to the crowd. Kakashi continued, "Yes, the raven-haired boy is an Uchiha, his name's Sasuke- also one of the students I passed. The pink-haired medic-nin is Sakura Uchiha, Sasuke's wife and my Kunoichi student of the group. The younger of the Taijutsu specialists is Rock Lee; the other one is his sensei, Gay…" He stopped and his face flushed with embarrassment. "I mean Gai."

She giggled a little at the mistake he probably made on purpose. He chuckled a bit and finished up, "Kurenai Yuhi is the one with reddish eyes; she's a Genjutsu specialist, and the child behind her is her son from a previous marriage. The guy next to her is her fiancée Kotetsu Hagane. The other ones you didn't guess are Shino Aburame -the one with the sunglasses. The other one is the blonde haired Kunoichi, Ino Hyuuga. She's married to Neji and she is from the Yamanaka clan. The other one is Iruka Umino. He's the teacher at the academy here in Konoha. He's married to Anko Mitarashi right there and they have a new baby girl. I'm not sure where she is at the moment. And then we have Shikamaru Nara. He's from the well-known Nara Clan that has the Kekkei Genkai of manipulating shadows. He's actually a Kono-Suna ninja much like how I'm a Kono-Aku ninja; he married a Sand Kunoichi. And last we have Tenten. She's a member of Team Gai and her teammates are Neji and Lee. She's currently dating Lee."

Once he was finished, he looked back at her and asked, "Does that sum things up for you?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Thanks." She looked over to Shikamaru and noticed Puppy talking to him. Her ears pulled back and she smiled. Then she pointed and added, "Oh and of course the sweet three-tailed fox, Puppy Hatake. The daughter of Kakashi Hatake only by adoption and a DNA transfusion."

Kakashi blinked and then simply said, "You didn't say anything about naming Akuma Ninjas. Just Konoha nins…"

Akumi laughed a little and slowly wrapped her arms around his waist. "So... when are you telling all these ninjas?"

Kakashi looked down at her. "How's later?"

Her ears flickered. "How come?"

"Well… for starters I thought you were uncomfortable with that. And two, I'd rather not get a razzing from Gai, I know he'll give me all sorts of hell about it. He already gave me a hard time when he figured out I was saving myself for the right girl. So how about I say something after Gai leaves okay? The way the weekend has gone, I really don't wish to deal with it right now."

She looked over at Gai and quickly stood up. Then she made a few hand signs and in an instant, Gai was trapped in a black bubble. Everyone went silent until Lee began to panic and attacked the bubble, but it was solid as steel. Sasuke and Naruto began to laugh till the blonde-haired Hokage fell over. The others began their battle stances until Kakashi stood up and got in the center of the room.

"Wait, its not harmful! Its her protection Jutsu, I've seen her use it." He tried to explain. When the others settled, in a low but harsh voice he looked at Akumi and added, "What the hell are you doing?"

She turned to her fiancée and said, "It's soundproof so Gai won't hear. Make your move. I'm not afraid anymore; you're friends look safe. I want your friends to know. Don't be cautious, I'm sure they'll be thrilled for you."

Kakashi blinked for a few seconds before he shook his head to concentrate. Then he stood up straight and looked around the room. Smiling guiltily, he said, "Now that you know it's harmless, I'm sure the majority of you are enjoying Gai in this current state…"

Everyone –except Lee and Shino (of course)- began to laugh.

"But while he's like this I've got a few announcements. And I'd like to say them fast. One: Hinata, Puppy and I are leaving tomorrow to the Hidden Daemon and you don't have to return with us right now. Everything's taken care of."

Hinata gave him a warm smile. Naruto wrapped his arms around her and gave her his friendly grin.

"And two: Akumi is accompanying us. She was somewhat of a recent acquaintance before. And she's quickly become a friend to Puppy and I." He stopped to look at Akumi. "And... she's become dear to me." He turned back to face the room. "To make it even more clear… Akumi and I are engaged."

They all stared in awe at Kakashi. For once, Naruto didn't have anything to say right away. No one looked unhappy, but he couldn't figure out their reactions either.

Kakashi smiled shyly under his mask. "Yep. I'm finally getting married."


	8. I Love You Just The Same

**I Love You Just The Same**

"What? You? Getting married?" Naruto shouted in shock.

"Yeah, got a problem with that?" The Hatake asked curiously.

Naruto looked down for a second and then looked back up at his teacher with his cheesy grin. "No. Not really. But, to be honest, I'm kinda happy for you Kakashi-sama… sensei…"

Kakashi and Akumi both smiled. "Thanks I guess." Kakashi said, not knowing quiet yet how to take such a compliment.

"I had a feeling you were hitched." The Hokage said with a 'I knew it' kind of grin.

"Actually I wasn't when we spoke." Kakashi replied. "Akumi and I kinda did the engagement just last night."

Shikamaru was staring at his superior in total shock. Though you couldn't quite tell it was total shock. He was too lazy to actually express it. "But you once said you were probably never going to get married…"

"Ever!" Sasuke exclaimed with a more obvious look of amazement. Sakura gave her husband an ugly glare.

Akumi's ears flickered and she turned to look at Kakashi. He simply said, "Times have changed. I'm getting older and I kinda needed to find myself a girl eventually. And Akumi seems to be the perfect girl."

She blushed at his words and softly giggled.

"Well I'm glad for you, Kakashi," Iruka said cheerfully, to which the silver-haired Shinobi chuckled childishly and itched his neck.

"Hey, Kakashi said he believed in the whole wolf thing where they mate for life." Naruto said as he stood. "He obviously just found his mate, and she's even a wolf, no less! Its perfect, he's happy, so no arguing and no more useless questions, okay everyone?" He was trying to defend his sensei and it worked, since everyone was quiet, but full of smiles. "Congrats you two."

Kakashi turned to see Akumi's cheeks were pink with bashfulness, but she accepted it. And he nodded to his student in acknowledgement. That was, until the blonde had one more thing to add.

"But, uh, sensei... I gotta ask." Naruto walked over to Kakashi and leaned in so only he could hear. With a mischievous tone to his voice, he asked, "Did you two actually do the mating part or is your virginity still intact?"

"NARUTO!" Kakashi bellowed, his face red with embarrassment.

Naruto obviously didn't realize that wolf daemons hear just as perfectly as their bestial counterparts, so Akumi slowly covered her face with her hands to hide how equally red her face had gotten. And no one had a clue what was going on, nor did they care what their goofy friend had just said to Kakashi. But to Lee's frustration, they were all forgetting one thing.

"Hello! What happened to Gai-sensei?" Lee shouted, trying to get people to pay attention to the original situation.

"Oh… yeah… Gai…" Neji said dully.

"What do you mean by that Neji?" Lee shouted. "Gai-sensei is in a solid-steel bubble for crying out loud!"

Kakashi looked over to Akumi and said, "I guess I'm finished. You can let Gai out."

Her ears dropped and she pouted. "Awww… can't I have a little bit of fun?"

Blinking, he looked from her to Lee and the Bubble. Then the Bubble and Lee to Akumi. He looked back again and evilly grinned under the mask.

"Okay. Make it amusing." He said.

She gave an evil grin and a wicked glare in her eyes and walked over to her protection Jutsu, where Might Gai was trapped inside. Lee was about to praise the wolf for what he thought was releasing his sensei, but she made some new hand signs and lifted her hands up to make the bubble float in mid air. Lee's jaw dropped. Half of the men in the room tried not to make a single face. The Kunoichi tried not to burst into laugh mode. Only Shino and Lee were straight faced. Kakashi started blinking and then began to feel his amusement rising. Iruka and Sasuke were the only two that blinked in confusion.

She quickly flicked her wrists and sent the bubble flying across the other side of the room. Before it hit the wall, she flicked her wrists to the other side and rapidly sent the bubble flying back. Lee shrieked in shock. That's when everyone burst out laughing.

"And now, I shall give Gay a fun shake…" She said, smirking.

Instantly, Kakashi and Naruto were on their hands and knees laughing till their faces turned red. The others were holding their guts or slapping their sides. Liking the humor in the room, Akumi quickly spun her hands in small circles to make the bubble spin. Then she shook her wrists to make the bubble shake.

Kakashi began laugh hard enough to the point where he was on his back. Akumi walked over and then grabbed the bubble and then began to twirl it around the room with the bubble at her fingertips, almost dancing like an innocent faerie with its orb. Lee was in total shock while everyone was rolling on the floor laughing. He would of probably got defensive and attacked Akumi, but he was somewhat stunned motionless.

Noticing Lee's shocked and freaked out expression, she smirked and then snapped her fingers. Then the bubble disappeared and Gai fell face first onto the floor. He sat up and rubbed his aching head and swayed back and forth, dizzy from the tossing and spinning.

"Gai-sensei!" Lee exclaimed, relieved that his teacher was released.

They both came to realize that everyone was laughing and they turned to the crowd in awe. Everyone quickly went silent and stared at Gai and Lee for a very long time. When Akumi thought she heard a cricket, Naruto began to laugh hysterically. Then everyone else started back up again in fits of chuckles and giggles.

"I like this girl already!" Naruto said in breathless gasps in between his outbursts of laughter.

Gai and Lee began to get enraged, until they looked at Akumi and her eyes, which showed that she had something in mind that wasn't good. They could've taken a true defensive approach, but instead they hugged each other in fear as the wolf daemon stepped closer.

"I know how to put this all together!" She exclaimed as if she had the most brilliant idea in the world.

Gai and Lee panicked as Akumi put her hands together and made four simple hand seals and whispered the Jutsu to herself. Then she leered at Gai til his clothes turned from his already bizarre outfit to a pink, female kimono. Lee shrieked in shock and Gai's face turned red in embarrassment. Then she leered at Lee and his clothes turned into a white male kimono and –using the Art of Substitution- she turned a desk in the corner of the room into a large white cake. With a flick of her wrists, she put the both of them on top. That's when Lee and Gai realized how badly they were letting her use them like toys.

But before they did anything, they stopped to look at everyone in the room. Kakashi and Naruto had practically gone into hyperventilation while half the room fell over and held their sides. The other half were covering their hands and faces turning shades of red and blue. Kotetsu accidentally slammed his head back into the wall, which made him stop laughing since now his head hurt in more ways than one.

Akumi eyed the cake and asked in a sly tone, "Hey, it kinda looks like a wedding cake. Can I eat it Kakashi?"

"Be... my... gue... gue... guest...!" Kakashi couldn't stop laughing nor could he breathe. He was having too much of a good time watching the entertainment. Gai would never live this one down for as long as they lived.

Akumi got a predatory look in her eyes as she looked from the cake to Gai and Lee. "Hee he..." she giggled evilly.

"Uh oh... somebody's gonna be screwed!" Naruto screamed since he was laughing so hard he also couldn't breathe.

Sasuke's face began to turn red at Naruto's statement and began to ram his head onto the floor and bury his head into his knees, hoping no one saw that. By now the older members in the room- Kurenai, Iruka, Anko, and Kotetsu- were simply sitting there wondering what Akumi was planning to do. Kakashi did the same as he ran out of air. Gai tried to break free from the Jutsu they were under, but the hold she had on them was more powerful than he thought.

"Lee..." Gai said with a straightforward tone. "we let ourselves get humiliated enough. But chances are it'd be easier to let this gal have her fun. So long as she doesn't try to kill us."

"WHAT?" Lee said in shock. "You're giving up?"

"Might as well, just this once... we really don't have much choice. She's stronger than I thought."

Neither one of them could believe they were overpowered so quickly by this strange wolf daemon. They hugged each other; their bodies twitching the closer she got.

She approached the cake slowly and slyly, until she stopped and froze solid. She began to feel pain waves throughout her body, and she knew what they were. _... Damn it... not now... it's coming back... not a good timing...__ She thought angrily._

Puppy looked up from laughing and asked, still full of giggles, "What's the matter Akumi-chan? Aren't you gonna freak them out some more?"

She stood up straight and began to wobble backwards towards the door. "I'm sorry. I... I have to go. Sorry for being rude." Then she ran into the door, pushed it open and ran out of the academy.

The laugher died and Kakashi had to do a double take when she ran out the door, since she left just as quickly as she came and reaped havoc on his rival. "Akumi?" He called out. He quickly got up and ran out after her.

Back in the room, Gai, Lee, and the table returned to normal, causing a sigh in relief now that the torture was over.

"Well I think she's a nice girl for Kakashi," Naruto said, grinning from ear to ear and forgetting his suffixes.

"You're only saying that because she turned Gai and Lee into living dolls," Sasuke commented, before letting out one last burst of laughter.

Everyone else was still full of giggles. Probably because everyone in the room had too much to drink and the whole thing was ten times more amusing that way. Puppy, on the other hand, was wondering why Akumi acted like that all of a sudden.

* * *

Once she got into the woods, her eyes started to turn from their shining turquoise to a death-like amber color. She raced back to her house and opened the door. Passing Ryushi, she ran upstairs and slammed the door.

"Damn it...!" She yelled at herself as she crawled into her bed and curled up.

_…No. I must stay calm. Must… stay calm… __She kept thinking to herself. _She felt the pain grow stronger and she began to hug her knees. "No… I don't want this... please let it stop..."

Her wolfish features began to change color. They turned from white with black tips to a reddish color that blended with her hair. Her fangs grew a bit bigger and her silver highlights turned black and white.

_…No. __She whimpered in thought. __I won't let it control me… I promised._

* * *

In the forest, Kakashi raced to her place and was full of anxiety. He still doesn't know much about Akumi, so her sudden bouts of retreat made him highly curious. _What's wrong? Why did she leave all of a sudden? This might be bad._

He got to the house and ran upstairs, also passing Ryushi who was attempting to make dinner. None of the siblings seemed too interested in the situation, which was equally confusing. It was almost as if they were oblivious to the world. A thought for another time, he decided.

"Akumi?" Kakashi called as he ran upstairs to her room. "Akumi? Where are you?"

Her ears perked up once she heard the familiar voice of her lover. "Kakashi... I-I'm not sure... if it's safe now." She hid her face as black chakra appeared.

Kakashi's senses kicked in, letting him know that foreign chakra was in her presence. He was fully aware that black chakra is not a normal chakra color, but he was also aware that vampires possessed black chakra. So he wasn't scared of the chakra itself, but more like the condition of the chakra's wielder. "Akumi what's going on?"

She whimpered silently in pain. "I don't want to attack you. My vampire cravings are appearing again but…" She paused and whimpered, "Never mind..."

Kakashi heard her clearly through the door. Quietly he slowly opened her door and walked into the room. "I'll be fine. But I'm worried about you."

"Please go..." Akumi said. "I don't want anyone near me when my cravings appear. I swore never to bite anyone...and I... I..."

Kakashi felt bad about leaving Akumi's side. But so that he wouldn't make her feel nervous about hurting him, he nodded and said, "I understand." Then he slowly turned to head back to the academy, carefully shutting the door.

After Kakashi quietly left the house and back to busy of the village, all of the siblings appeared by her side. She looked at her brothers and sisters and grunted at them all.

"Aren't you going to tell him onee-san?" Ryushi said, gently hugging her.

"No." She growled. "I don't know what you're talking about…" Then she looked to the side.

Tapping his foot impatiently, Damien growled a bit. "If you don't tell him then I will!"

Akumi got a shocked expression and quickly snapped, "No! Please don't Damien..."

Damien sighed and then harshly said, "You're hindering… both of you." He turned to his younger brother and said, "Ryushi seal the room. I'm going after him before we waste our time."

Ryushi nodded and Damien ran out. Akumi tried to get up to stop, but another wave of pain came and the black chakra quickly formed into a pair of crimson-colored wings. She growled and sat up, hugging her knees. Ryushi quickly dismissed the girls out the door before their eldest sister felt the need to run out of it to hold Damien down. Ryushi then sealed him and Akumi inside.

"Sorry onee-san." He said sympathetically. "It's for the best. Please trust us." He went back to her and gently tried comforted her. Her wings moved a little and she growled softly. Her energy began to shift, silently informing her little brother that she felt caged and discomforted.

* * *

As Kakashi was on his way back, he kept thinking, _I hope she'll be alright soon… I don't understand why she's like this. And it's bothering me that she won't tell me anything. I'm probably not going to get any answers now. __I wonder if she'll be okay before we leave tomorrow__..._

He quickly sensed someone coming towards him and he stopped cautiously. He didn't recognize the aura until he heard the daemon shouting, "Kakashi! I have something important to tell you about nee-chan! I'm dead serious!"

It was Damien.

He quickly spun around to look at the redheaded Ainoko and quickly asked, "Damien? What is it?"

Damien stopped and paused for breath. "It's about my onee-san, about why she's acting like this. She didn't want anyone to know, but I have to tell you since we don't have much time left."

Kakashi listened carefully, wanting to know the cause of all this distress. "What? What's wrong with Akumi?"

Damien took a deep breath, and then began to explain, "You see, as long as Akumi doesn't give into her vampire cravings, or should I say as long as she doesn't bite someone, then all of us, we siblings of hers, will stay alive. To tell you the truth, we are actually just spirits…"

Kakashi blinked in surprise of the information. "What? …Spirits?"

Damien nodded. "It's kinda hard to explain cause the impact happened a long time ago. It was the day after the incident actually...but… she should just give in. It's slowly hurting her." His gaze got focused on the ground.

"Slowly... hurting her? What should I do?" He asked, willing to help.

"Go back to her." Damien said. "Ryushi will unseal the door and lock you in. She'll be mad but you're the only that can calm her. Be patient with her ok. I'm going back. I'll wait for ya." He then took off back to the house.

Kakashi sighed. "I guess that's what I get for listening. I should've just stayed downstairs until she was calm. Oh well." Instead of running back, he used his simple trick, the Body Flicker Technique, to appear at Akumi's door. Remembering what Damien said, he knocked on the door and spoke clearly, "Ryushi is me, Kakashi."

Responding quickly, Ryushi got up and unsealed the door. He looked at the Shinobi in front of him and said, "Careful... she's been growling a bit." He stepped out and sealed Kakashi and Akumi inside. Kakashi carefully walked over to Akumi, but still kept his distance in case she might bite him. And biting was what she was afraid of doing.

"Akumi...?" He said to her, gingerly.

Feeling distraught, she let out a deep growl and spread open her crimson wings. But she folded them back and her wolf ears flattened. "...I bet Damien planned this..." She mumbled.

Kakashi nodded. He didn't move when she growled, or when her wings opened. He was more worried about whatever might happen to her. Akumi sensed his nervousness and she looked at him, face still buried in her knees. His eyes softened when he met with these different, yet recognizable amber eyes. The feelings were beginning to fade; her black chakra disappeared as her wings also vanished. Her eyes turned from harsh to soft and more calm, yet they were still amber. She left his black eye and stared blankly at the wall in front of her.

He watched and waited patiently for her. He tried not to upset her or do anything worth regretting. The more he learned about her, the more he fell in love with this part wolf, part vampire. Though vampires were uncommon in Akuma and are usually mistreated, depending on if they bite or if they show their vampiric form, he still would think she could fit into Akuma, as long as they fixed this problem. Great, that's right. The thought of what The Elders back in the village told him came racing into his mind again. The words "_Don't screw up Kakashi. The last thing you want to do is choose the wrong spouse. Never pick a daemon as your wife. It'll forever taint the blood of the Hatake clan._"

Kakashi was entirely aware of what "The wrong spouse" was, and it was the woman he officially fell in love with. He had a huge weakness for duty since it was what moved him up in the world. It took him a long time to return to return to the mindset of "lives are more important than duty", the Hidden Daemon motto. Why he was worried about it now, Kakashi had no idea. He brushed the thoughts aside and focused on Akumi again. He wanted her pain to go away, her worries to be forgotten. He especially wanted to be with her when she was in trouble. That's what he was supposed to do.

His thoughts were distracted when Akumi finally said, "I bet he told you too. It's so like him to just disobey my request." She sighed as her highlights started to turn back to silver.

"About your siblings being spirits and some other information? Yes he told me about that." He said.

"I was hoping to avoid this." Her features were back to normal now, except for the minor things like her fangs and amber eyes still being there. Eyeing the constant shuffling of his feet, and his energy becoming desperate, she said softly, "You can move closer if you want."

Kakashi went over and sat next to her. "What's so bad about it? So what? Some bad things have happened to you in your life. Bad things have happened to me too." He looked at her with a soft expression on his face. "If it makes you feel any better, no matter how much information I hear about you, I still love you just the same..."

"I know that. But I'm worried about my vampire blood. That and I can't let go of the past. It keeps haunting me. And it's worse when my siblings say it's their fault." Akumi said.

"Well, what's so bad about your vampire blood?" He asked calmly.

"If... if… I bite someone, I would be breaking my promise... that... and I would be starting to give my vampire side control. And then it would happen again… like last time." She said sadly.

Kakashi didn't know what to say. He already felt bad that she was worried about it. He had no idea how to comfort her in a situation like this. But he wanted to comfort her in the worst way.

"I don't want them to die. I don't want anyone to suffer because of what I did. I gave all my time to protect them yet I ended up killing them." She cried a bit, softly.

Kakashi put an arm around her and pulled his mask down. He kissed her forehead gently and hugged her tight. "I'm sorry if I'm not much help. But I don't know how to help you with something that's so foreign to me..."

She leaned against him, enjoying how close he is to her. "I... I just don't know what to do. Too many thoughts are bugging me. I want to do the right thing but my demonic power is growing..."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Kakashi asked.

Akumi looked at him, her ears lowered. "I... I... don't know..."

Kakashi nodded and temporarily buried his face in her hair. Then he lifted his head and said, "It's okay. I understand." He paused slightly before adding, "So far, I am confused as to why all this is happening so fast."


	9. Never Wanted to Get Married

**Never Wanted to Get Married**

She blinked at his words, unsure of what to make of them. "Well, this is what happens when you open that mouth of yours." She spoke. "Maybe it's a good reason why you wear that mask..." She smiled briefly.

Kakashi's eyes saddened. "Either that or I shouldn't be talking at all. People tell me to speak my opinions… well I guess I shouldn't have listened to them."

She gently hugged him and said, "Nah, if you don't speak your mind, you'll just end up like me. It's better that I know..."

Kakashi smiled and said quietly, "Thank you, Akumi, for caring about me. Even though I can be impulsive sometimes..."

"I try my best. As I said, no one is perfect. And sometimes that impulsive nature of yours is a good thing..." She said, giggling a bit.

Kakashi looked at her. "Really? How?" He asked as he smirked, actually showing her his teasing grin.

"Oh nothing. But I think you forgot already..." She smirked playfully as she nuzzled his neck, then she teasingly gave small kisses on his bare cheek.

Her behavior gave most of it away. "Well I think I remember now. So, are you talking about what I think you're talking about?" he asked in a teasing way.

"Maybe..." Akumi said, giggling for a second. "But it doesn't seem like your too quick to catch anything today... slow poke..." She smirked as her ears twitched excitedly.

"I think maybe that's the case. I feel a bit dizzy for some reason. Maybe its cause I hyperventilated when you were embarrassing Gai." Kakashi said.

Akumi forgot all about it until he brought it up. "Oh yeah. I should torment him later… much later." She made a soft evil laugh after the last sentence.

"Are you planning to do something before then?" Kakashi asked, curious about what she was planning.

"Well... I was but... no. Nevermind." She smirked playfully again.

Kakashi smirked at her back. "Your attempting to do something aren't you?"

"Maybe. But you said you were a bit dizzy. So I'm guessing you can't handle anything now..." She smirked back. "Besides, you told me we should cut back on it anyways…"

He remembered he told her cut back on the sex, but he tore that part out of his head. He decided to change his mind. "Bring it on." Kakashi whispered in a teasing manner.

She turned and pinned him down. "There's no way you be able to keep up this time..."

"You never know with me." Kakashi said with a smirk.

"Oh really? Do you really think that you're so clever?" She asked; then began to kiss the part of his neck that wasn't covered up by his mask.

"Actually, yes I do." He said sarcastically.

"Oh sarcasm, the other form of poetry..." Akumi said, giggling a bit.

"I'm full of sarcasm…" Kakashi teased.

"Well, ain't I the lucky one?" She began to nuzzle against his neck.

"Are you gonna do this when we go to Akuma too?" Kakashi asked, laughing a little.

"Maybe, why?" She laid her head against his chest.

Kakashi started thinking about an answer, until he came across something bad. Something he didn't want to discuss so early. He knew she wouldn't like what he was thinking, but the thoughts wouldn't go away. Slowly his eyes looked concerned and he said in his thoughts, _Oh-shit..._

"Huh? What's wrong Kakashi?" She looked up at him, noticing his worried eyes.

Slightly ignoring her on accident, he mumbled, "Cassie... And the entire village... Are gonna kill me…"

Akumi blinked in confusion. "Cassie... and the entire village? ...What's going on Kakashi? Tell me…"

He did not want to explain, but since he mumbled it anyway, he had no choice. Wanting to get it over with, he took a deep breath and to explain himself… quite quickly, "Cassie- the third Yajukage- we sometimes don't agree since she usually treats me like my father." He stopped real quick to explain. "My father was a rival to Cassie, yet my mother was her best friend. So there were times were I would get yelled at or praised as a child, cause Cassie didn't know if I was like my mother or father." After she giggled a little he got serious again. "So I can see myself never hearing the end of _this_ from her."

Then Akumi asked, "And… the entire village…?"

Kakashi sighed and went back to explaining quickly, "Around my 13th birthday I was informed about my clan duties… and they weren't pleasant. The village is completely aware that I am the scion of my clan. If I'm getting married and that means… well… I have a lover, a spouse at my side. And now I… feel a little sick to my stomach cause the village is expecting me to "restore" my clan and I have no idea if that's something you want or… what the elder council wants." He finally paused for a breath and said, "And now you know why I never wanted to get married."

Akumi blinked in both shock and confusion. "What? And what's a scion?"

"A scion is the very last of a family generation or a clan. Like a soul survivor." Kakashi said more calmly and this time breathed in between sentences.

"Great... well that mean that we are both soul survivors of our clans... and now I have to deal with this Cassie person... just peachy. Anything else?" She questioned.

Kakashi sighed. "Yeah. Akuma is expecting me to restore my clan. So you know what that means..."

Feeling a bit dumb, she said, "Ahh... actually... I don't..."

Kakashi sighed again and said, "One word… kids."

There was a silence for a brief moment before the wolf began to panic.

"You got to be joking... kids?" Akumi barked, trying to calm herself. "Great... that kills the mood! Damn… what the hell do I get myself into...?" She exasperated.

"That's what I thought." Kakashi groaned. He didn't want her to be under pressure, so he softly, sadly added, "If you wanna walk away, it's fine..."

She looked at him and smiled. "Nah. I've dealt with worse... besides... there's no way I would leave you Kakashi." She wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder.

Kakashi smiled and said, "And I wouldn't leave you."

She giggled a bit. "You're so warm right now... I almost feel sleepy..."

Putting his mask back on, he replied, "Then go to sleep."

She pouted a bit. "Ahh... but I don't wanna. I want to stay up bit more since your awake..."

"Fine. Stay up then." Kakashi said trying not to laugh at the fact that Akumi was acting like a 2-year-old.

She kisses him briefly on the neck. "Yay! I get to stay up with Kakashi! What shall we do next?"

Kakashi chuckled a little bit before he shrugged. "I don't know."

"Um... how about…" Before she could say anything, she fell asleep against him.

Kakashi chuckled. _It looks like she couldn't stay up after all.__ He yawned a little. __But neither can I…_

He carefully adjusted himself so then he fell asleep next to her.

* * *

During the night, Akumi sneaked off silently while everyone was asleep as she headed outside. "I sense it..." She whispered to herself.

She headed downstairs slowly as she grasped her crimson katana and slowly opened the black door that had weird marks on it. Her white wolf ears flattened and she got a little concerned.

"Please... let him be gone..." She mumbled.

She began to come closer to an altar when a rush of chakra hit her as she approached the doors. Akumi saw a figure rise before her and she gasped.

"Damnit! I thought I killed you!" She shouted.

The dark figure laughed evilly. "I can't die so easily, child..." And in a flash, Akumi was onslaughted by blades of chakra. Pain instantly consumed her body and she yelped.

"No! I will kill you this time..." She cried, and her black chakra became visible and created a barrier around herself, shielding her from any more attacks.

The figure laughed and dashed off before she could think of striking. Akumi now was inside the altar by herself, the chakra barrier still around her incase of an ambush. She slowly let down the barrier and the chakra disappeared. Akumi panted heavily and stood there for a brief moment, since it happened way too fast. The attack had injured her a deal, so she slowly got up and limped slightly back to her house. She was also bleeding quite a bit. Her vision became foggy and she began to stumble as she opened her door and attempted to walk towards the stairs.

"Damnit. He used those poisonous blades again." She mumbled, feeling poison surge through her body. "But they were doubled in intensity. Oh man, this is not good."

* * *

Kakashi slowly woke up. Noticing that she wasn't next to him, he sat up and looked at the moon outside. _Where'd she go now?_

His thoughts were dismissed when he sensed the familiar gray demonic aura he knew as Akumi. But he also smelled blood. He got out of her bed and walked out of her room and slowly down the hallway towards the stairs.

Kakashi started to go downstairs when he saw Akumi. His eyes narrowed in fear as he saw her bleeding. "Akumi! What happened?"

"I... I sensed him. He… he's alive. I... thought I killed him. But... I..." She couldn't talk any more, so she fainted.

Kakashi wanted to ask who she was talking about, But he was a little too late. He went further downstairs to her, picked her up and brought her back to the room. When he laid her down on the bed he noticed that her breathing was a bit irregular. Kakashi was worried yet again. He wanted to help so he started to do hand signs to perform the Catalyst Jutsu and said to himself quietly, "Lets hope this works. I know I shouldn't use this Jutsu again, but I should…"

Before he finished the hand signs, Akumi woke up and grabbed his hands and she coughed up a little bit of blood. "Don't... Kakashi... you'll need you strength while he's around..."

Kakashi blinked. "He? Who's 'he'?"

"My father..." She whimpered. "The head of my clan… and the only one who I hate more than myself..." She tried to stand up.

Kakashi blinked in shock, but then softly pushed her down and questioned, "But I thought you were the last of your clan?"

"I was... I thought I killed him. It must be that damn vampire blood of his."

"Well what's gonna happen now? What are we gonna do?" He asked, trying to find a way to comprehend.

"Isn't it obvious?" She replied. "We have to kill him again. Especially before he finds out that you and me... are getting married..."

"Why? What would he do?" He asked calmly.

"Either... kill you instantly or slowly torture you... since... he practically hates my guts. He would love more than to hurt and kill the ones I love." Akumi said, her ears drooping.

Kakashi sighed then asked, "How do I kill him anyway? If you were to supposed to have killed him, then how is he still living?"

"Easy." Akumi said. "One word, Vampire blood. Since he's pure vampire, he's almost immortal. Especially with that poison of his..."

Kakashi blinked in shock. "Poison? What Poison?" He asked.

"He poisoned me. He has pure poison stored in his body and can use it in his attacks..."

Forgetting about her species, he impulsively panicked. "Y-you're... poisoned? A... Akumi we need to find an antidote..." Kakashi said with fear in his voice.

She softly giggled and said, softly, "Oh stop worrying... I am daemon...unlike most people, I can handle it..." She put a hand on his cheek. "But it will take me long to recover..."

Kakashi sighed and tried to brush it off. He never used to panic like this before, so he relaxed his body, looked back at her, and smiled under his mask. "What? I can't be worried about my future wife?" he closed his eyes briefly and asked, "So what _can_ I do anyway?"

Akumi smiled. "Nothing. I just need rest."

Kakashi smiled, pulled down his mask and kissed her neck. "Then rest it is..."

She shivered a bit. "Oh really... I will when you stop teasing..." She smiled as she kissed him on the lips.

Kakashi smiled also and he pulled back. "Don't die on me okay?" He teased.

"I'm not that pathetic... Kakashi..." She smirked playfully and her white wolf tail wagged a little.

"Oh I know." He said. "Just trying to act weird. Is it working?"

She giggled a bit. "Hey! No one is weirder than me..." She quickly got up and then tackled him to the ground. She felt a quick surge of pain, but she tried not to show it.

"Hey! What's the tackle for?" He asked, grabbing Akumi's waist so she couldn't move.

"I have only just begun..." She said, kissing down his neck slowly.

He made a soft moan. "Really? You don't say?" He teased with a smirk.

"Don't tease me..." She smirked back. "Or tease even worse..."

"What? I'm not allowed to tease ya?" He asked; teasing her yet again.

She lifted his head slightly as she briefly kissed him. "...I guess I'm the one with the energy today. Too bad..."

"Who said I didn't have any energy?" Kakashi said. "Its just... with the village... and the clan thing... I just don't wanna do it right now..."

"Ahh...and maybe it's best. Since I should be really resting..." She said, feeling a bit strange about the whole thing.

"Yeah..." Kakashi said, both eyebrows raised as if to make a point.

"Um...maybe I should go to bed and rest til we have to go..." Akumi said, getting off Kakashi and crawling onto the bed.

Kakashi nodded. "You will need your rest. It's a long walk to Akuma."

She turned her head to look at him and blinked. "Why walk...?"

"I always walk. Gives me something to do and I can get exercise." He added with sarcasm, "Why? Cause it pleases me."

"Oh... bitter." Akumi said, flatly. "You know we could always fly there. It's faster." She giggled a bit as she curled up on the bed.

"One: What about Puppy? Two: To be honest the flying thing is okay, but its the leap into the air that makes me sick." Kakashi tried to explain.

"One: I can easily carry two people, I've carried both my brothers before." Akumi reasoned. "Two: I'll warn ya this time…"

Kakashi nodded. "Alright. So you rest and tomorrow we leave for Akuma."

"Ok, but make sure you get some sleep too." Akumi said. "We need to be aware for my father."

Kakashi nodded. "Yes. I know."

Akumi dozed off to sleep as her breathing sounded normal now. Kakashi noticed that a few of the wounds were healing, which he was relieved to see. He grinned and laid down next to her, wrapping his arms around her waist and nuzzling the back of her neck. She happily growled and turned towards him and put her head under his neck. He rested his cheek on her head and they both fell asleep in each other's arms.


	10. Sand Can be Painful

**Sand Can Be Painful**

In the morning, Akumi was the first to wake up. She looked down beside her to see that Kakashi was still sound asleep. She kissed him on the cheek and decided to take a shower. She got up and began to walk over to the bathroom when the sun hit her face. Her ears pulled back and she bared her wolf fangs.

Sleepily, she hissed softly, "I hate sunlight."

Akumi jumped into the shower and she cleaned off her wounds and cleaned her hair of the dirt and dried blood. Kakashi -hearing the sound of running water and Akumi singing- slowly awoke and began to get up. He sat there in bed for a while and then looked out the window at the sunrise.

_Today's the day I get to return home.__ He thought.__ And not only will Puppy be joining me, but Akumi too. The two most precious people in my life will accompany me home. I like the sound of that…_

She got out of the bathroom, drying off her hair as she looked over to Kakashi and smiled. _My father could easily kill him if I don't do something...__ Akumi thought. __I need to protect him and Puppy…_

Kakashi looked at Akumi and smiled back. _I will probably stand no chance against her father. But if I try, I could at least keep her and Puppy safe._

Noticing that he was still lying in her bed, she giggled and asked, "Well, ready to go or you still tired, sleepy head?"

Kakashi shook his head. "I'm not tired. We can go. Just let me go to the academy and get Puppy."

"Ok... then let's got to the academy. While you grab Puppy, I'll stretch my wings..." She said, giving him his Jounin vest that lay at her feet and the she walked out of the room.

Kakashi got up and followed her. But before he went out the door, he turned around and looked at her and asked, "Do you… would you… like to go to a tea shop and truly enjoy each other's company? No teasing, no trouble. Call it… a date."

The wolf slightly turned her head up to look at him and give it some thought. She was smiling pleasantly, though her eyes were giving him a clever look this time. "Okay… I don't see why we couldn't do that before we leave. It might be fun to enjoy each other and watch those silly humans stare."

* * *

After they're time together at the teashop, Akumi waited in the training grounds while Kakashi went inside the academy to find his daughter. He found her talking to Shikamaru again and he had to drag her out of the room and back to where they where meeting Akumi. But once they left the building, Puppy had quickly ran ahead and now left Kakashi a little bit far behind. Outside, Akumi wandered very absentmindedly until something struck inside and she knelt, in a bit of pain.

"Damn him..." She cursed, coughing up a bit of blood. Akumi wiped off her mouth and stretched her wings. "Got to get ready. I'm carrying two people…"

Puppy was now strutting her way the training grounds when she smelled the blood Akumi coughed up. Curious, she ran towards the site. Puppy stopped short and slowly walked over to Akumi and was about greet her until she saw her wings.

"Akumi-chan I had no idea you had wings too!" Puppy exclaimed. "Oh... and they're crimson too! I like the color crimson…"

Akumi smirked. "Yep! Though they were hard to get, I love how they're crimson instead of leathery!" She looked around, and then asked, "Where's Kakashi...?"

Puppy blinked. "I think he's coming. I ran ahead of him…"

Kakashi walked out and said, "I'm right here." And smiled.

"Finally! Let's go!" Akumi opens out her wings wider. "Ready this time Kakashi?" She giggled a bit.

"I guess." Kakashi groaned. Akumi had flown him before; the first time they met, when she recovered with the help of Kakashi and the Catalyst Jutsu, he was weak and ready to pass out, so she had spread those wings and quickly took flight before he had a chance to figure out what was going on. Because he was dizzy and weak, the initial takeoff made him jump out of his skin. He had been real reluctant to do any sort of flying since.

Akumi picked up Kakashi (which he found quite demeaning) and Puppy jumped on her back. She took off from the ground and picked up speed and altitude. Puppy's long white hair flowed in beat with Akumi's wings as they flapped. At least this takeoff didn't make him want to vomit right away. He felt queasy right now, but it was better than last time.

Puppy's ears twitched excitingly as the wind hit her face. "This is fun! Don't you agree Tou-chan?"

Kakashi sighed. _At least I was prepared for that last jump._ He thought.

Akumi carried them gently through the air as the wind carried them safely towards Akuma. "It will be about a half hour's time in the air till we get there." She looked ahead, still concerned of the poison dwelling in her body.

Kakashi's eyes saddened a bit for a quick second and he sighed. _Maybe she could find things she needs to cure this poison in The Hidden Daemon._

After a few minutes of flying, Puppy blinked for a second and then began to rub her eyes. "Too much wind can sometimes get into your eye like sand. Except less painful." she said, giggling.

Akumi smiled reassuringly. "I know. Sand can be painful." She said, staring off a bit as the sun began to set behind them. _Like when I would fight with Gaara... _She thought. _He's still my rival. Even today he's still evil. But my father is more evil than any other foe I faced._

Puppy smiled and nodded. Kakashi was lost in thought as he normally was whenever he was heading back to Akuma. Puppy grinned at seeing her father zoned out again. But she looked up and watched the sky change into a deep pink and a blend of orange as the sun set over the trees.

Akumi snapped out of her thoughts as she noticed something below. Her ears pulled back and her face showed a serious look. Kakashi sensed her energy change and he looked up at her in curiosity.

"We need to land." She said automatically.

Puppy blinked and held on as she leaned back a bit. She carefully landed on the ground below and let set Kakashi down. Puppy slid off her back and stretched her arms and legs. It was getting dark and the background was creepy since it was heavily wooded. But Akumi was used to it since she grew up in the woods all her life.

"Stay here, I'll be right back." Her face grew serious again and she left them standing there in the woods.

Kakashi put his hands in his pocket and watched her leave. Puppy yawned and sat down against a tree.

"Sleepy..." She mumbled. Eventually, she dozed off to sleep. Kakashi turned his head and shook his head at his worn out child.

_She barely did anything and yet she stills sleeps like a log... _He thought. He looked out into the woods again and patiently waited for his fiancée to come back. _I wonder what she's sensing that I don't sense?_

* * *

In the woods, she moved further and further away from them, picking up a scent. "What the hell is he doing here...?" She snapped softly, baring her fangs again.

Akumi slowed down, making her presence better hidden as she saw a figure not too far away from where she was. She turned back a brief moment, but as soon as she did, someone came behind her and snatched her away in a whirl of sand before she could scream for help or even do anything to defend herself.

* * *

Everything was blurry at first, and she didn't know quite where she was. As she opened her eyes, she sensed a familiar chakra.

"What the hell happened...?" Akumi mumbled. She sat up and looked around a bit as she saw that she was in someone's room.

"I brought you here, because you know that we still have some unfinished business." A familiar voice said.

Startled, she turned to see none other than the Gaara Subaku, the Kazekage himself. She growled at the sand ninja and the fur on her tail stood up. And the black tips on her ears bushed up and her soft turquoise eyes transformed into the deadly amber ones she gets in her vampiric state.

"Yeah right, I hardly would of called that business." She hissed. The black fur on her tail now bushed up, making her look like a fox.

Gaara smirked very slightly as stayed leaning against the wall in front of her. "Ah, did you miss me that much?" He asked in a teasing manner.

She growled deeply, while flattening her ears. _That jerk, he's mocking me..._ She thought in frustration. _I hope Kakashi is all right. And I wonder if he knows where I am now..._

"I hope your still not holding that grudge, cause I brought you here to give you what I promised to last time." Gaara said as he walked over to her, his expression more serious.

Akumi relaxed a bit, remembering what he meant. She slowly stood up, keeping herself calm but alert.

"Where is it, and how long will it take...?" She asked.

He looked off to the side a bit and then back towards her. "I have it here, and it will take a week to process within your body. But you will be unconscious while it settles in."

* * *

Kakashi sensed something faint, but he couldn't quite figure out what or who. He began walking in the direction Akumi went off to, leaving Puppy to sleep there by herself and unguarded.

"I wonder if it was just Akumi I sensed..." Kakashi said quietly to himself. He still continued to walk further.

He stopped short of where she was snatched and sensed that her sent disappeared after that spot. But then he smelled another sent there. A familiar sent too.

_This smells familiar… but who?_ He thought.

He put his hands together and he concentrated his chakra. He could sense his blue chakra, but he concentrated harder till he felt beads of sweat run down the bare parts of his face and get absorbed into the cloth. His chakra shifted from the usual weak blue chakra to his bloodline trait, the Honojiroi. He smiled to himself as he felt his energy shift into a more powerful, secure mode.

_I'm glad I can still use my Kekkei-Genkai._ He thought as he smirked to himself._ It's been a while since I have used it._

He focused hard, with a bit of small white chakra slowly becoming visible and making slow circles around the area Akumi's sent vanished in. Then he managed to get an idea of what happened. He sensed a strong presence, along with the presence of sand. He opened his eyes and snapped in shock, "Gaara!"

A bit panicked, he darted around the woods, trying to sense her just a small bit. He still stayed a good distance near Puppy so she could be able to sense him if she woke up. He had gotten a bit worried about her to the point where his Kekkei-Genkai got the best of him and would sometimes become visible.

_She couldn't have just disappeared! And Gaara, why do I sense Gaara around here?_ He got so worried that he felt something sharp in his chest and he had to stop.

Kakashi stopped running around to breathe. His white chakra appeared and disappeared more and more to the point where it began to fade in and out like a heartbeat. It became stronger to sense, which puzzled him.

"What… what the hell is going on?" He said in awe. The sharp pain in his chest returned. For a minute, he thought it was a panic attack. Then his mind changed, for he felt his weak blue chakra became overwhelmed by none other than his white chakra. The pain was too excruciating for him to bear. He fell to his knees and began to breathe irregularly. He quickly yelped in pain and his body felt nauseated.

_I can't take this... I... have no choice..._ "First... gate... Kaimon..._open!_" He shouted in pain. His mind quickly opened the first gate and he forced the powerful energy to knock himself out. The pain was relieved and he stood on his knees with a shocked expression to make him look like he took a blow to the back of the head. He slowly closed his eyes and fell to the ground, allowing his bloodline trait to continue its work without him feeling the pain any longer.

* * *

Akumi paused, her senses alarming her, telling her something bad was going to happen. She began to worry not only for Kakashi and Puppy, but also of what might happen if she decided to follow through with this plan. Gaara stood there quietly for a few minutes, but decided to end the brief silence.

"Something's wrong, you and I can sense it. Maybe we should put this off for a bit, I can easily bring them back if you're that worried." Gaara said.

Akumi snapped out of it, and shook her head as she sat down again. "No, I got a different idea. First, let me take it since it will only take a minute to finish and then we'll leave."

He gently pulled out a bottle shaped like a crescent moon with reddish liquid inside. "You'll be endangering your health to an extreme if you do." He explained. "At any moment after you take it, you could fall unconscious and put them more at risk."

She took the bottle from his hand and popped off the lid or cork. "That's a risk I'm willing to take, and I don't do that often."

She quickly drank the liquid in the bottle and disappeared with Gaara in a flash, back towards Kakashi and Puppy. Luckily, Akumi and Gaara were near Akuma but in an abandoned building that was only known to a few people. Akumi rushed, pushing herself in order to get to them before the potion could take effect.

_This is a life or death thing I'm risking. _She thought._ If I don't hurry, either one of us could... no, I won't let that happen. I swear, no one dear to me will die if I have anything to do about it!_

* * *

Puppy woke up suddenly, sensing a powerful aura and a high chakra level somewhere around there. "Tou-chan?" She said, a bit nervous. When no one responded, she nervously sighed and stood straight and tall.

_I gotta be like a ninja and be strong..._ She began to wander around the woods, trying to sense her father's presence. But that powerful source was blocking her concentration.

"Damn it! What is this that I'm sensing?" She paused for a moment, she was really close to whatever she was sensing, and was about to go check it out when she sensed something else. "A-Aku-" She paused as she searched her surroundings, but then mumbled something she thought she wouldn't be saying ever. "Mom...?"

* * *

Akumi stopped just but a short distance, about a few feet from where Puppy and Kakashi were. "Did I just...?" Then suddenly, an overwhelming pain rushed over. She never felt anything like this before, dropping to her knees instantly.

"What the hell is going on?" Her voice was panicky, as she started breaking out into a cold sweat.

The pain kept coming, each time more painful. "No, I won't stop. I must get to them, I refuse to surrender now...!"

She forced herself to stand, even though her body weakened from the pain. "Kakashi! Kakashi! Puppy! Where are you?" She cried as she slowly walked onwards, limping from the severe pain.

"Damn, I can only think of one option now, even if it's going risk my chakra and my health." She mumbled weakly.

She leaned against a tree while taking out a kunai and cutting her hand slightly as blood dripped down. She moved her hand to her right shoulder and let the blood touch the curse mark. It quickly was activated and flame like marks covered her body as some of her black chakra surrounded her. She stood straight and now was walking normally, she was unable to feel any pain but unknown to her, her body was in extreme agony of the poison and the curse marks.

"At least his mark comes in handy sometimes." She said, still walking. Then she said to herself in a harsh tone, "I will not fall victim to the Crimson Lotus poison, not now."

Akumi was so focused on finding Kakashi and Puppy that she didn't notice her body slightly changing. First her hair, which was it's usual red with silver highlights, changed to a very light pink that it almost looked white. Next, she grew two more tails in the form of sky blue chakra, giving her now three and her original tail changed from white to a red with a bluish-black tip. Lastly, her wolf ears became a bit pointier, but they remained white with black tips and the sky blue chakra very dimly surrounded her like a cloak. She began to call again, hoping for a response. "Kakashi! Puppy!"

* * *

Puppy heard cries and began to run in that direction. She was able to sense another presence now and focused hard to follow it. She recognized now that whom she was sensing was Akumi.

"Ma..." She corrected herself quickly and called, "...Akumi! Akumi!" _I hope she doesn't think something's wrong with me..._ She thought suddenly. _I never say her name without a "-chan" after it. Uhg I'm out of it..._ "I just wanna find her and then my father." She said softly to herself as she kept on running.

Akumi stopped and snapped out of her focus when she heard someone calling her name. "Puppy…? Puppy! Hold on, I'm coming!" She ran towards her, following her scent. She was unaware of how much she was risking her health, mainly due to the power of the curse mark.

Within minutes, they ran into each other and Puppy was relieved to see her, and then pause and blinked in shock at her new appearance. But Akumi's expression was mixed between one of worry and rejoice.

"I'm so glad I found you. I sensed something and… I… couldn't stand the thought of you being harmed… you and Kakashi." She got a bit teary-eyed and for some reason, something she never would of thought of her doing. She moved closer and gently hugged Puppy as her ears lowered. It was a bit quiet except for the sound of Akumi softly crying a bit.


	11. I Love You Daughter and Husband

I Love You Daughter and Husband

Puppy lost the words to speak when Akumi got teary-eyed and hugged her. She smiled softly and hugged Akumi back.

"I... didn't want to loose you either Akumi-chan. You're a sweet person and my dad cares deeply for you... I'm actually starting you think of you as..." she paused in shock as she remembered something. "Oh god! My dad!!! That's right! My dad disappeared and I can't find him you gotta help me!" She said. "And plus I sense this enormous chakra that is really odd. Can't you sense it? Over there..." Puppy turned and pointed from where she came from.

Akumi looked toward where Puppy was pointing but as soon as she was going to respond, the sudden appearance of Gaara interrupted her. Puppy yelped and got behind Akumi, who stood calmly in front of the Kazekage.

"You have to leave now, unless you want to face 'them'." He said flatly.

At first Akumi didn't understand what he was talking about but then it hit her about what he meant. "No… you don't mean 'them'?! They've all been gone for over 20 years!" She exclaimed.

Gaara nodded his head and looked toward the west. "Yes, now go. I'll try and delay 'them'." In a flash, Gaara disappeared in a whirl of sand.

Akumi's mind was panicking. All these sudden events were putting a lot of stress on her. It was already bad enough with her body in physical torment. It would be a miracle if she survived this. She looked at her side pouch, pondering what to do. She only had one option, and she knew that Puppy and Kakashi weren't going to like it. She took out a necklace with a white, quartz-like crystal and handed it to Puppy.

"Take this and find Kakashi." She said. "Also, no matter what, do not follow me, and you tell that to Kakashi as well." Her ears lowered a bit as she was about to go, but she paused while her back was facing at Puppy. The wind blew gently around them. There was a moment of brief silence. Puppy was holding the necklace in both hands and looking at Akumi in both worry and confusion.

"Gokigenyo, aishiteru musume to shujin, itsumo…" She said quietly.

She turned a bit and smiled sweetly at Puppy, and in a flash, she disappeared along with the wind.

Puppy blinked for a moment. Akumi spoke in Japanese. And she said, "Farewell, I love you daughter and husband, always…"

Puppy clutched the necklace and began to softly sniffle then cry. The wind then began blowing her hair and tails in a smooth, steady rhythm.

* * *

Kakashi woke up slowly, his eyelids heavy with exhaustion. He swallowed a few times, tasting the cloth of the mask that covered his face. Then his mouth tasted bad and instantly he shot up straight and coughed. He was also ready to pull down his mask, just incase his body decides to make him puke. He breathed heavy and tried to stand up straight. His body felt lighter than before. He stood up really easy and was able to stand. What made him feel a bit more at ease was that he no longer felt weak. He felt stronger... ten times stronger. Quickly reacting, he attempted to summon chakra and what visibly appeared was not weak old blue chakra, but his Kekkei-Genkai, the Honojiroi.

"Hn… so in other words, my body consumed my old blue chakra to give me my Kekkei-Genkai." He said to himself. "Heh... Burakku-sama told me this would happen when I'm 50. Guess I'm 6 years early..."

He began to walk back to where he left Puppy when she came running the opposite direction. He blinked a few times and said, "How'd you...?" He stopped speaking when he noticed her wipe an eye, and the other one was red and wet.

"You're crying... what happened?" He asked gingerly. But she hiccupped and made no response to his question.

Remembering what he was originally doing he asked, "Did you find Akumi?"

She stopped and slowly lifted up her hand and opened it, revealing the quart necklace. She hiccupped again and tried not to sob.

"She wanted you to... have this."

Puppy felt his energy shift from worried to as if his heart stopped dead. He gingerly reached out and took the necklace from her hands and clenched it tight, but not hard enough to break it.

_... Why...?_

He held back tears and replaced the emotion with a slight heavy, heavy breath in, but no air out. Hands shaking, he pulled the braces of the necklace off and put it around his neck. He didn't want to loose it or leave it out of his sight for a split second.

"She also said... don't follow her." Puppy said, holding back a sob.

He stopped and looked at her. "Well... you know me. I can be insubordinate." He said softly.

She looked up and bit her lower lip. "No... she doesn't want us to follow her. She probably doesn't want us hurt."

"But I can't stand to see her hurt either..." He said. Puppy looked up and blinked. He quickly added, "And I can't stand to see her gone... not yet. She couldn't stand to think of me leaving before her. Well... neither could I..."

He walked passed Puppy and strongly said, "Right now I don't care if my decision is going to make the everyone put me in shame, cause I choose to bound myself to someone that isn't my race. I want her to know, like I wanted you to know, that I love her and I'm not going to give her up so easily..."

Puppy blinked and watched her father walk off, his energy changing to a feel of want.

_I do respect my wife-to-be's requests..._ He thought, a tear finally shed and ran down his cheek. _But even though she cares for me, I care for her. And I refuse to back down on this one..._

* * *

Tears welled up in her eyes as she ran, and her heart was heavy, for it took a lot of strength to stay that calm in front of Puppy and speak such words to a girl who speaks fluid Japanese and her Daemon language. She stopped to rest a second to steady her breathing. Her charka was running low and that was going to cause her a lot of problems now. As she looked around, she realized that she had stopped in a big open field. Though it was late in the seasons, the field was still bright and gold, even at this time of night. Akumi realized that this was the same place where she had meet Puppy for the first time… and confronted Kakashi.

"Guess I can't stay away from this place, it keeps on dragging me back here." She said, laughed briefly as she sat down underneath the shade of the trees, the trees at the end of the forest.

She was unsure of what was going to happen next now that she turned and left the family she was meant to have. Some Shadow Clones had been a trap set up for Gaara and hopefully he had figured it out by now. She had to wait til he arrived, but the one she feared that was going to chase her down was her father. She decided to give some information to Kakashi and Puppy before it was too late.

"This is the only thing I can think of that might help them understand what's going on." She mumbled. She reached into her pouch and took out a blank scroll and started to write, she figured her fiancée would track her down anyway, so she guessed he would find this sooner or later.

She began to write: "There is something that the two of you need to know. First off, that crystal I gave you acts like the kunai that the fourth Hokage used. I know, Kakashi, that you understand that since your sensei was the Yondaime. I have the other one, since they came in pairs. They used to belong to my parents but I found them in the wreckage after the incident. Secondly, my father has found us and he was following us on our way to Oni. So, I want the two of you to stay away, I'm going to finish what I started. I have one last thing to say, my original purpose ever since birth, involved something you might not like. There was two parts to it. First was Jinchuuriki while the other one was…" Before she could finish the letter, her father interrupted her by coming up behind her.

"So child, are you so hopeless that you started writing out your will?" He smirked slightly as Akumi stood up and growled deeply at him. "This time, you will die and no longer cause anymore suffering."

Her curse marks faded, but her cloak and appearance were still the same. He performed some quick hand seals and with two fingers, he tapped her on the forehead before she could run. Her eyes grew wide with shock but she was too late. "Neiri no Jutsu, Feigning Sleep Technique." She softly gasped, eyes still wide, and within seconds, she fell to the ground, her eyes slowly closing and her mind fast asleep.

He picked up the scroll and added to it. His writing had more of a creepy flow to it and it read: "Now you will witness the true horror of the Hirogatsu clan. Deep secrets still lie within the past of the last survivors of the clan. Dare if you may to come and rescue Akumi, but what you thought of her will quickly change when you see the true nature of her. I leave you a brief amount of history that she hid from you, one of her dark secrets that you might find interesting. Let's just say that her bloodlust back then was greater than the strength of any Kage."

He hung the scroll and her side pouch on a tree limb, but not before pulling out a small bundle of kunai knives. He lined up on the ground, side by side, twelve different village forehead protectors. Each of them had a line through the symbol and traces of her blood were on them.

"Let the games begin." He picked up Akumi and disappeared back to the altar at the household.

* * *

Kakashi kept dashing off where he could trace her sent the strongest. Puppy was running behind him, amazed at her father's sudden transformation. To her, he seemed stronger, quicker, and his sense of smell became as sharp as hers- hers was extremely sharp- and, what confused her, was that Kakashi wigged more than he usually did. She understands why he's nervous- cause of the disappearance of Akumi- but she was stumped as to why her father freaked twice as much as he use to.

They headed to the big open field and they stood there. Kakashi could smell that she had been here. He was more occupied on where Akumi might be, but Puppy remembered this big field and then her ears sank.

"Tou-san... do you remember this field?" Puppy asked.

Kakashi nodded. He did know what this field was. He remembered Puppy bringing Akumi with her from the woods and the wolf began to tease him with a Come-Come Paradise book that no longer sparked his interest. He began to think of those first memories, how at first they had not gotten along... cause of how nervous they were around each other. When he first laid eyes on her, she had him mesmerized, but he never said a word. And she must have felt the same way. They loved each other but couldn't express it.

He thought of all that... then thought off topic to something else… something more painful. He sniffled and shook his head rapidly when Puppy heard the sound that meant he was going to cry softly again. She was about to go comfort him when he immediately knelt down on the ground and then broke into a massive amount of tears.

Puppy stopped and was both surprised and sympathetic. He had only cried like that six times in his life. Three times- Cassie-sama said- once for each member of his family he lost. The fourth time was when he lost his comrade during the Third Great Ninja War. The fifth for when he tried to take care of Naruto as a baby when Jiraiya couldn't, but was forced to give him up and felt like he had betrayed his sensei and his sensei's son. And the sixth was when Puppy got sick and he almost lost her too. Now he was crying cause he thought this time he was loosing yet another loved one. And she knew this when Kakashi's breathing became choking gasps as he tried to apologize to her.

"I... I'm... s-s-sorry you... h-have to see m-me... like th-this a-again..."

Puppy walked over and knelt down beside him. He sat up on his knees and hugged her tight, feeling overwhelmed by all these things that have happened in only a time of four to five days. Three days ago he found the love of his live, and now he quickly lost her. He didn't have the right mind to give up yet, but at the same time he felt like he was helpless. Puppy just hugged her father and let him cry out his stress, hoping they would get back to finding Akumi once he gets his head cleared. She looked up slightly as she gazed at the crystal that slightly dangled from his neck.

* * *

Not too long had she had woken up from the Jutsu, that she realized where she was. She went to stand up, but her body was limp from the pain and she could barely kneel on the hard ground of the altar floor.

"Now child," Her father said, looking down at her with taunting eyes, "let us awaken what you had feared most. That savage bloodlust that dwells within you."

She turned towards him and was about to speak, but then images began to flash before her. "No…don't tell me, not this again. I can't stand to relive these!"

Random images appeared before; all of them were the ones she kept regretting about what she did. The days where she used to go on endless killing sprees, the monster inside feeding off the bloodshed, the days where she was known as the "Lotus Assassin." And the day of the incident, which was the one awful memory that clung to her the most.

"No, please stop…! I didn't do it, no, please stop… please forgive me…" She cried out in pain, totally absorbed in her memories. She quickly curled up, knees to her chest, her hands holding onto her ears, hoping she could calm herself.

Her father smirked and laughed evilly as he watched her suffer. He was going to enjoy it even more when Hatake Kakashi was going to come to try and save her.

* * *

About thirty minutes of sobbing, Kakashi was still holding Puppy, feeling like he got the majority of his inner pain out. Puppy was also hugging her stressed father, her facial expression almost lifeless as she felt his sympathy. His breathing was still irregular as he gained self-control again. His senses were also a bit sharper now that he was de-stressed, cause now he began to smell blood- Akumi's blood- and he quickly let go of Puppy and stood up. She blinked a few times, slightly touching her now-wet fox ears. He walked off towards the west a little and she quickly followed. He finally came to what he was smelling: a scroll, Akumi's kunai pouch, and the headbands of every village with the outcast line running through all of them- an Oni headband included in the bunch. Puppy inspected the headbands, sniffing them and not only smelling Akumi, but someone else too.

Kakashi, on the other hand, wasn't worried about the headbands, but the scroll and what was written on it. He recognized the smooth handwriting as Akumi's. He read the information on the crystal, and then slowly reaching up and touching it softly just to feel if it was still around his neck. He was also startled to see the word "Jinchuuriki" in her past. He saw her handwriting came to a halt and he noticed the fast, almost freakish writing and he held his breath when he finished. He dropped the scroll on the ground carelessly and grabbed all the headbands, slowly sensing where and who they were from.

His mind gave him a good idea of where she was and he said, "Puppy, we have no time to waste. We'll use the Body Flicker to return to the altar in Konoha..."

Puppy stood up and blinked. "Altar? What altar?"

"There's an altar near her home. I've seen it and I know where it is. Now let's go." And then he quickly disappeared.

Puppy didn't know about the altar, but she knew where Akumi lived. So she used the Body Flicker to return to Akumi's front door. She was expecting a greeting from Damien- as usual. However, no one responded to her presence. It was as if the Hirogatsu siblings... vanished.

* * *

Kakashi was already at the altar and did not go in yet. He stayed around it, hearing everything inside and concealing his presence so well that not even he himself could detect if he was there...

Inside the altar, Akumi was struggling to handle the unbearable pain that ached through her body. Her vampire side was attempting to break through, but she refused to give in to it. She'd rather die than let her vampire side take control.

"Damn…this is difficult." She hissed. "I don't want to give into it but…that might be my only option if I want to live through this."

She started to take deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. Her body was relaxing, the pain slowed down and some of her charka returned. She knelt on the ground, her arms resting at her sides as black charka appeared. Her father, watching the whole scene, smirked gleefully.

"That's it child." Michael hissed with pleasure. "Give in to your true power. Let us continue what my elders started."

The black charka swirled around her slowly as her wolf features changed again. Her eyes were turning back to their deadly amber color, and her golden wolf ears and tails disappeared. Her hair changed from its red with silver highlights, to black with white highlights. Lastly, her crimson wings formed but the color in the wings became black and her fangs grew a bit longer. She was becoming a full vampire now.

Outside, Kakashi strained to listen. His hearing was sharper than before, but it was still hard to catch everything the old vampire said. He slowly inched his way towards a place to see. He finally got to an opening and looked inside. His one visible eye grew wide with shock at Akumi's new transformation. He trembled a little, both nervous and …turned on?

_Jesus, I can't get a break, from even my own self._

He watched as Akumi didn't move yet, and the black charka disappeared. In the shadows, nine different figures appeared, slowly moved forward. When they were in the dim light, Akumi became startled with the sudden scene.

"No… I can't believe it. I thought they were dead as well. H-how can they be still alive?" She whispered, as if talking to both her father and herself.

Michael laughed at her mockingly as he stood by the nine people. "Let me reintroduce you to your former senseis." She watched their every movement, not daring to drop her guard and Kakashi listening closely outside.

"In order we have, Deidara, Hidan, Itachi, Kakuzu, Kisame, Zetsu, Orochimaru, Sasori, and Madara…"

Kakashi looked closer and noticed it was the whole Akatsuki… and Orochimaru. He growled loudly, but not loud enough for anyone to hear him.

"…Luckily, Orochimaru had taught me and another a special technique." He continued. "We all agreed that if anyone was killed, then it was of importance that we revive them."

Akumi didn't remember any technique that involved reviving the dead and who was the other person that knew about it. Then another figure stepped out from the shadows as he kept walking towards Akumi. She looked at him and took awhile for her to figure out who this person was.

"No. No way… I can't believe I'm seeing this." She gasped.


	12. Sing For Me

**Sing For Me**

The person stood in front of her, calm and showed a sincere look on his face. "Hello my dear Auka-chan. I'm so happy to see you again." He reached out and gently stroked her face. "Please don't be upset, I'm here now."

Kakashi irately clenched his fists as he listened to this guy talk to her. He was part curious and part angry that he knew nothing of what was going on. And more importantly, who this guy was. All Kakashi kept thinking as he watched what was occurring in the altar was, _what the hell is going on here_?

The man took out a flower that looked like a lotus with dainty pink petals. He carefully crumpled up the flower and slowly dropped the petals above her. Akumi started to daze out, falling into an illusion created by the flower. A few minutes later, she looked up at him, with a simplistic smile. He helped her stand up and gently embraced her, while slowly stroking her smooth, black hair.

"Koriysu-san, I missed you." She said. Her voice sounded childish, for she was stuck in a trance, acting the way she did when she knew this person.

Kakashi recoiled. His heart then skipped a beat when he noticed her childish tone and her smile she gave this "Koriysu." _She must be in a trance._ He relaxed himself and started thinking like the Shinobi he used to be._ It must be a genjutsu. She has to be in a trance._

But, in the back of his mind, he began to doubt Akumi's love for him. He looked away for a minute as he tried to shake the thoughts right out of him. His hands began to shake with stress and absolute fear, but he just gripped his hands tightly together like Hinata did when she became meek and shy. _My God what is wrong with me? I know better! Keep it together!_

Koriysu smiled at her and then looked at the others standing there, waiting. "Lets start while we have the chance." He said. "There is no need to worry, she has my full attention."

The others nodded, Michael looked from Akumi to Koriysu. "Honestly," He started, "I don't know why you act like that. The whole thing disgusts me."

Koriysu looked at Michael and smiled calmly while speaking, "Of course you don't understand, that's why you didn't have the power to lead Akatsuki. Though my soul is full of blood lust, my mind and my actions were to plan out carefully how we were going to accomplish this. Thus I had to put on the role of being the caring sensei, that became the safety net of Akumi's emotions and power."

Orochimaru looked from Michael to Koriysu and smiled evilly. "That was the one thing I admired about you. The unique ways you used to manipulate others. Thus I made sure that you learned that technique, Kuchiyose: Edo Tensei a.k.a. Summoning: Impure World Resurrection."

Koriysu gently picked up Akumi and carried her like she was a child. "Yes, but let's continue. The more time we waste talking about the past, the less time we have till she wakes up from the trance."

Michael nodded as the others moved to the sides as a statue rose from the ground. The statue had cuffs on its hands, a bit in its mouth and a blindfold over a set of nine eyes. Eight eyes were open, meaning that all but one- which being the nine-tails- of the Bijuu were sealed. But very few knew that there were also four other tailed beasts; secondary Bijuu was what they were referred as. But the second Koriysu brought Akumi closer to the statue, it's ninth eye opened. Kakashi then realized that that's what she meant. Akumi was herself a Host to a Bijuu. And that they didn't need all nine _foundation_ beasts, they just needed nine to complete whatever it is that they were about to do.

Each of the ten members stood on top of the statues fingers, every member corresponding with the rings they wore. A platform rose in front of the statue, rising to the height of the knuckles on its hands. Koriysu was on the platform with Akumi, she was starting to feel sleepy for some odd reason. Koriysu helped her stand up as she looked at him with a curious expression.

"Now its time to fulfill your purpose. Don't worry Oukami-chan, it's not difficult at all." Koriysu smiled sweetly to the young vampire. "All you have to do is sing for me, the lullaby I taught you. The rest will come naturally."

She looked at him confused for a moment but then smiled. "Ok Koriysu-san, I can do that." She paused as her eyes and body language told him that she became dizzy. "Where will you be?" She added.

He pointed upwards and backed up a bit. "At the top of this statue," he replied. "Where I can get a good view of you."

He then jumped up swiftly and landed on top with ease. Akumi looked up at him, then at the members and then sighed softly. "Alright, now to do what Koriysu-san told me to do, just sing…"

She calmed herself, taking a few deep breaths and began to sing.

_**Hold on to me love**_  
_**You know I can't stay long**_  
_**All I wanted to say was I love you and I'm not afraid**_  
_**Can you hear me?**_  
_**Can you feel me in your arms?**_

Outside, Kakashi took a deep breath and shut his eyes, trying not to cry again, this time they'd be tears of anger. The Hatake had a few plans going through his mind, but he didn't know how well they'd work. There was no way he could face all of the Akatsuki and survive. He was going to try something to calm him down, but then he heard Akumi sing. His eyes shot open and he gasped, "That song… she sang that song on the mourning after we…" He looked back at the new scene and was able to listen easily. He saw that as she started to sing, slowly but surely, her vampire features started to disappear. He forgot about the Akatsuki and began to feel relaxed as he heard her sweet voice again.

_**Holding my last breath  
Safe inside myself  
Are all my thoughts of you  
Sweet raptured light  
**__**It ends here tonight**_

Her fangs were the first to disappear, next her hair turned back to that light, pink. Kakashi slowly became completely relaxed as he became memorized by his love's beautiful musical voice.

_**I'll miss the winter  
**__**A world of fragile things  
**__**Look for me in the white forest  
**__**Hiding in a hollow tree  
**__**Come find me  
**__**I know you hear me  
**__**I can taste it in your tears**_

Kakashi smiled, for he finally got to hear more of that beautiful song. And as she kept on singing, her body felt so weak, like something was disappearing. But her mind reassured her, that nothing was wrong. But she started to have this nagging feeling, that something _was_ wrong. She could somehow sense a feeling of sadness, helplessness, and anger. Kakashi got out of his little trance and saw the look on her face as she wobbled and her voice had a slight shaky tone to it. On top of the statue, Koriysu watched, getting excited that soon Akatsuki would finally accomplish their goal.

"Soon," He said aloud for Kakashi's hearing to catch "the gates will open and we will advance. As she opens Densetsugakure, the Land of Legends."

"The Land… of Legends?" Kakashi repeated softly to himself. He had heard of that Land around the age of nineteen. That was a long time ago. It suddenly hit the Hatake that his love could be in grave danger. His body tensed again and the fear returned in his black eyes. "A-Akumi…" His body was so full of stress now, so it impulsively failed to keep him hidden any longer. It let out his demonic aura so everyone knew he was there. When his aura became unmasked, his new massive amount of Kekkei-Genkai chakra was exposed as well.

_**Closing your eyes to disappear  
**__**You pray your dreams will leave you here  
**__**But still you wake and know the truth**_

She softly sung the last line, "No one's there…"

This caused Koriysu to blink. "Hmm?"

Akumi slowly blinked and began to sense an outburst of massive charka. At first, she was unsure where it came from until it hit her. She focused and could quickly sense that it was Kakashi's. When she noticed the charka, it seemed to have snapped her out of her trance.

"…No. He wouldn't…" Akumi gasped softly. "I warned him of the extreme danger!"

As she was regaining her senses, her features were changing back to her original wolf ones. The members of Akatsuki and Koriysu noticed this sudden change in development and Koriysu growled with displeasure. Akumi searched, hoping to find Kakashi as she dropped down to the ground and landed gracefully. Outside, Kakashi's eyes flickered with a bit of delight and fear as he noticed when she snapped out of her trance and jumped off. Koriysu, however, wasn't pleased at all. He had to stop this before it was too late.

"This is quite troublesome." He hissed. He jumped downwards, heading towards Akumi.

She was now panicking, for she didn't want Kakashi to come closer. Like him, she was afraid he wouldn't be able to face, and kill, all the members of Akatsuki.

"Please go back while you have the chance!" She called out, now catching sight of him as he slowly began to stand.

Then Koriysu appeared behind Akumi, which made Kakashi's anger return, and placed a strange necklace around her neck.

"I guess we might have to delay our plans for a bit." Koriysu snarled as Akumi began to struggle in his grasp. "Now, let us awaken your past self; your Jinchuuriki self. Let us awaken the Lotus Assassin."

Akumi dropped to the floor, her eyes closed as she once again was transforming. It startled Kakashi a little, since he has always hated seeing her in pain. Her outfit, her wolf-ish coloring, and her charka, was quickly changing, all dissolving and reforming in this new energy. Within minutes, she now had that light pink hair, her wolfish features a hot pink with red tips. And the sky blue cloak surrounded her, thicker than before. She carried a pair of black, twin blades at her hips. And the outcast forehead protectors, all twelve of them, were now hanging from a thin, rope-like belt that was tightly wrapped around her waist. She opened her eyes, which were now a pale-green, and stared coldly in Kakashi's direction. The Hatake shifted his left foot slightly behind his right- a defensive position he always took when threatened- but he held his ground. He knew that Akumi had warned him and warned him over and over about not getting in danger. But he didn't give a damn at the moment. He just wanted Akumi back. And he wasn't going to let the Akatsuki or Koriysu get in his way.

"Now Auka," Koriysu said coldly. "Go hunt down your new prey over there."

"If it means putting my life on the line…" Kakashi mumbled to himself softly, "then so be it."


	13. The Lotus Assassin

**The Lotus Assassin**

Kakashi hadn't drawn any weapons nor did he attack. He stayed very still as he locked his black eyes with Auka's pale green ones. So far, every form his love has taken had either startled him or amazed him in an unknown way. This form he made no time to stop and look at. He disliked this "Lotus Assassin" cause he knew it wasn't someone Akumi wanted to be again.

"Akumi…" He said aloud.

He still stood still, and then quickly gave a cold glare at Koriysu- a glare that could send shivers down the most emotionless of ANBU. He mind became clouded in fear and hate and wanted to go at Koriysu, until he remembered Akumi's singing. That calmed him a little bit.

"Akumi I know this isn't you…" Kakashi said softly, as if he was talking both to her and himself.

Auka smirked devilishly at Kakashi, bloodlust radiating from her. It only made Kakashi's heart pound louder.

"I'd take the time to enjoy this moment of freedom," She started coldly, "but I have some prey to catch." Then Auka walked with a slow stride, grinning at the Hatake the whole time.

Kakashi still stood there, his black eye never leaving her pale green ones. His heart began to beat faster. He didn't want to hurt her, but he didn't want her to kill him. Being killed by the deadly side of his love would be the last thing he would want. Plus, he couldn't leave Puppy behind. He loved her as well. Quickly, he lifted his headband to reveal his Sharingan and was prepared for the worst.

Auka had only gotten about three feet closer to him before she was suddenly tackled out of nowhere. A red haired figure had snapped of the necklace before Auka pushed him off. Then it hit the majority of the people watching that the redhead was a familiar face.

Damien.

"Onee-san! I can't believe they reduced you to this level! It's pathetic." He growled as he held her down until she had returned to the red-haired, white furred self. She looked around dizzily and found herself gazing at her surprised fiancée; then she turned her head to lock eyes with her lavender-eyed brother.

"...Who... what the…Damien?!" She got up and growled at him. "You baka! Why are you still here?!"

Then, for the first time in awhile, he smiled at her. She froze in her place. "Cause I gave up on trying to follow what laid in the past." He said softly. "If you know what I mean."

She looked confused for a second until she noticed blood… running slowly down his back and dripping behind him on the ground. "You didn't..." She gasped.

"I did. I ripped off those damn wings so I could live a bit longer to help you." He replied.

Koriysu and the Akatsuki stared in shock. They all thought the siblings were dead. So it confusing for them to see Damien still alive and standing there in front of his sister. Kakashi had slowly lowered his guard, thinking that half the danger has past for now.

"You're gonna have to use that attack..." Damien said quickly and sharply.

"Attack…?" She murmured to him.

"The one that is supposed to open the gates." Damien said again.

_The eight inner gates..._ Kakashi thought flatly, remembering what the gates can do to people if they open all eight of them.

Damien paused briefly to think for a second. Then he said without hesitation, "And you'll need Kakashi's help to complete it."

Kakashi stood up straighter when his name was mentioned. _But... hold on..._ He was now slightly confused as to why he was included into the eight inner gates. He could only open the first gate, let alone all eight. And whether he had to open them or not, the mentioning of the gates always sent shivers down his spine.

Akumi started to cry a bit as Damien took her into his arms. "That Jutsu of his is the only way you'll be able to survive from using that attack... trust me on this..."

Now the Hatake wanted questions more than ever. However, he could only say one thing, "What Jutsu? What Jutsu of mine can help?" And, out of pure impulsive thinking, he kept saying in his mind in a panicky tone, _Please not the Raikiri, please not the Raikiri..._ Though his Lightning Blade is now ten times more powerful and complete because of his unlocking his Kekkei-Genkai, he still had a hard time using the white chakra normally. He was too nervous about using the Raikiri and dying from the power.

His was disrupted from his thoughts as he kept looking at Damien's torn up back and was sad to see such a thing. _No matter. _He thought firmly, while shaking his head. _Raikiri or not, my Kekkei-Genkai will now somewhat make me stronger and ready for any Jutsu... I hope._

Damien looked from the Akatsuki members, to Michael, to Koriysu, then Akumi and then Kakashi. "I'll setup a barrier to contain the charka from the overflow of the Jutsu." He said quickly. "Oh and don't worry, Puppy is safe. She's inside the house where it's safe."

He kissed Akumi gently on her forehead and rested his head on top of hers. "Onee-san, I must go before it's too late…" He gently lifted her head so she was looking at him. "Please remember, we all cared deeply for you. Parting is such sweet sorrow, but we, especially me, will always love you…"

He let go of her, finding it hard to see her so sad as he walked towards Kakashi. The Hatake slowly forced his eyes away from her and he looked over at Damien as he walked over. The daemon stopped briefly in front of him.

"After she completes the Jutsu, if you ever want to see her again, you'll have to use that special Jutsu of yours, the Catalyst Jutsu…" He said firmly.

_Oh no._ The Catalyst Jutsu was the last thing on his mind. He now began to dread this Jutsu that Akumi will soon perform.

Damien than ran outside the alter grounds, stopping to perform a few quick hand seals as the barrier enveloped the entire house. "Good luck…" He said warmly.

And within an instant, he vanished.

Akumi fell to the ground, sobbing as she grieved for her siblings. Kakashi stood a good distance from her, respecting her boundaries. He hoped the space would give her a minute to recover her courage.

"Damien, Ryushi, Aoi, Aumi, Aoishi… I wish it didn't end this way." She sobbed softly. Though, she calmed herself after a few minutes, she was keeping in mind what she had to do. "I will not let your lives be wasted in vain, time to end this for all." She stood up, her eyes fierce with anger and determination. She closed her eyes as her black charka started to appear.

"Quick!" Madara shouted. "Before she-"

"First gate, the Opening Gate." Kakashi's eyes widened slightly as her charka doubled in capacity, swirling around her slowly.

"Second gate, the Rest Gate."

Her charka levels kept increasing, with each command everyone around her had their knees quivering.

"Third gate, the Life Gate."

Her charka now was swirling quickly around her, and it doubled in height.

"Fourth gate, the Pain Gate."

One by one, with each gate, she prepared herself for the Jutsu. Kakashi backed up a few steps. He was now beginning to fear for her. He didn't want her to open all the gates.

"Fifth gate, the Closing Gate!"

The ground was starting to break up around her as her body was now enveloped in her charka.

"Sixth gate, the Joy Gate!"

Some of her charka now formed into three chakra cloak tails. The members of Akatsuki, along with Michael and Koriysu, were shocked that she was able to access such power and they started to worry.

"Seventh gate! The Shock Gate!"

Now, she had six tails of charka, lashing around her. "Now, the final gate, eighth gate, the Death Gate!"

The charka started to line the walls and spread across the floor as she started to perform some hand seals. "Prepare yourselves for your doom! Shiki Fujin no Jutsu, Dead Demon Consuming Seal!"

Kakashi thought that his heart had stopped beating. He could hardly imagine her using the same Jutsu that killed his sensei. "No!!"

The room slowly started to get dark as the Death God appeared behind Akumi. Kakashi could even feel the God's presence, though he could not see it. The Death God slowly grabbed the Akatsuki, Michael, and Koriysu's souls. There was fear spread across their faces as they now realized this was the end.

A half-breed had destroyed Akatsuki's main goal.

"Now Death God, take my soul as well so you can seal away theirs."

"No don't…" Kakashi said softly, weak with fear.

The Death God then grabbed onto Akumi's soul as they all could feel every inch of pain spreading throughout their bodies. The Death God then took the knife from its mouth and cut the souls from each of their bodies. One by one they fell onto the ground, dead. As the Death God consumed the souls and vanished, Akumi was still their, barely standing.

"I did it… I finally got my revenge…" She fell to the ground slowly, her breathing labored and her vision blackening as she reached out for Kakashi. She could see the traumatized look on his face.

"Now…I can finally…find myself… at… peace…" Her hand fell to the ground as she started to close her eyes, her body now numb.

"Akumi no!!" He cried, semi-realizing that tears were now soaking his mask. But after watching Akumi open all the gates, he was scared bad enough to the point where he took Damien's advice. He slid his headband back over the Sharingan and began to run towards Akumi, now willing to sacrifice _his_ own mind to bring her back.

_"Kakashi,"_ Kakashi began to hear the words of the memory when he was 13, when he first learned to use the Jutsu, and what his teacher had told him, _"Whatever you do, do not use the Catalyst Technique to revive the dying."_

_"Why is that Minato-sensei?"_

_"If you do... then your conscience will die instead of the person."_

_"My... conscience?"_

_"Yes. In other words... you'll be lifeless."_

"_Why?"_

"_Because the healing side of the Catalyst Technique heals people's conditions. Whether it's sickness or injuries. And in return, the user absorbs that pain. That's why your chakra flow will become unbalanced: because in an attempt to protect your body, your network takes the fall. Should you try to heal a dying person, your network will only take so much, and then your spirit takes the fall."_

"_I understand, sensei."_

"_And don't EVER try to revive someone if you've already suffered from a previous round. Otherwise it'd end you."_

"_Understood, sensei."_

Kakashi then preformed six hand seals as he got closer to her. "Ne, Uma, I, Tatsu, Saru, Tatsu!" He knelt down beside her and felt the chakra slip out between his fingers. He looked at her still body, her demonic aura slowly fading to black.

"I love you..." He sobbed quietly.

**"****Shokubai Chiyu no Jutsu: The Healing Catalyst Technique!"**

He placed his hands on her back and forced the chakra out of him. Already he could feel the chakra taking the pressure. He held his strength as he continued the Jutsu. After a while he felt his vision blurring and his body grow sore... his mind was slipping.

"Not yet… A little… longer." His chakra was at a low point and he couldn't hold on. And then his one knee that wasn't on the ground finally gave in. Quickly Kakashi put a burst of chakra into her body and pulled his hands away. He panted for a little while as he felt the sudden loss of chakra. He felt nauseated due to the feel of being unbalanced again, but nothing else yet. Suddenly, his eyes became glassy. His breathing was heavy. He felt like he was going to sleep even though he wasn't tired.

_"In other words... you'll be lifeless."_

Kakashi slowly sunk to the ground and in his mind he heard one last thing. A voice... Akumi's voice.

_**Holding my last breath**_

_**Safe inside myself**_

_**Are all my thoughts of you**_

_**Sweet raptured light**_

_**It ends here tonight**_

_**Holding my last breath**_


	14. Two Bright Black Eyes

**Two Bright Black Eyes**

Now the two remained on the ground. Akumi, who was slowly waking from her being on the brink of death, and then Kakashi, alive and breathing, but as lifeless as a rag doll, now that his conscience has vanished. Akumi slowly started to open her eyes, her body starting to gain the strength to move. As she started to sit up, she saw Kakashi, lying there next to her and still as if he too had died. The glazed gray that was covering the life in his eye told her that he couldn't hear her, see her, nor feel any pain. He was an empty shell now.

"No…please… Kakashi. Kakashi!"

She carefully lifted his lifeless body into her arms and began to cry as her heart felt like it had stopped dead.

"I'm sorry," She sobbed, burying her face into his slivery-white hair. "I'm so sorry Kakashi… please don't leave me…"

She cradled his body gingerly, feeling his energy slowly shifting from the lack of a spirit. She remembered a saying that the body is never the same without a spirit. And Akumi slowly began to realize that the saying was right. She felt his aura shift and morph, feeling his body become confused without his spirit.

"I didn't want this to happen. I wanted you and Puppy to be safe…" Her body trembled in grief, as she thought negatively, _I'm so stupid…so pathetic for thinking I could do something right for once…and look at what happened…oh god!_ She couldn't move and wasn't able to think straight._ He was right… father told the truth… I will never be able to hold onto the ones I love cause they only end up dying._

"_**Akumi, snap out of it you dimwit!"**_

Akumi suddenly felt some inner part of her starting to fight back those negative feelings. It was a feeling she never expected that would help her… her vampire half.

"**Don't think you've lost… you have to keep fighting! I hate to see my container acting so pathetic. It sickens me."**

Akumi was somewhat confused. She wasn't able to gather what her vampire half was telling her. She hugged Kakashi a little tighter in confusion. "But… I don't know what to do…"

"**Duh you baka, there's one thing you could try. Did you forget about your bloodline, the one thing you were so uneasy discussing with Kakashi about?"**

It suddenly hit her that she was referring to her vampire blood, and the one part of her that she knew would help her survive that Jutsu. But she remembered when they had talked about during their time at the teashop before they left. She remembered that when she suggested transferring some of her demonic youth by biting him and giving into the cravings just once, Kakashi felt uncomfortable being the one getting bitten.

* * *

"_Don't worry. It'll barely hurt!" Akumi said smiling. "Besides, you'll still be 100% Hatake, but my bloodline and the Hirogan abilities will make you live the lifespan of a daemon's. Wouldn't you like to live 1,000 years instead of 300?"_

"_Yes, that would be nice…" He said calmly looking down at his tea. "But the thought of having a longer life kinda makes me nervous. I have a few comrades in Akuma that will die before me if I live longer. That makes me a little uncomfortable watching them die before me."_

_Akumi's ears sank. She completely understood that. That was why she wanted to give Kakashi a bite and give him this 'gift.' She didn't want to see him die before her. Kakashi turned to look at her and her ears perked up again._

"_It's kinda coming too fast for me." He admitted. "Promise you won't do that."_

_She nodded. "Okay I won't."_

"_I'll let you know if I'm ready for such a change."_

* * *

"I don't know… I said I wouldn't… and what if it doesn't work?" Akumi murmured weakly.

"_**Well it's better to try than to just give up…"**_

She started to calm herself a bit. She began to sort out her thoughts and think more clearly. She had to decide, either give up her sense of honor or to keep trying to save the one person she truly loved.

"Fine, I'll do it… I won't give up and neither should you Kakashi. Please, don't leave me. Fight to live for all of us."

Akumi moved him carefully so he was facing her so she could pull down his mask. She had held a firm enough grip that his arm moved and firmly straightened on the ground to hold his body up. Akumi paused to think sadly about how confused his body must be to not know what to do by itself. Even though Kakashi's body was helping him sit up- thanks to Akumi's grip- his head was still hanging low. She put her index and middle fingers together and lifted his head so his glazed eye was looking at her. He looked drowsy to her, and it made her stop to take a deep sigh and calm down a little more. Just incase his body got confused again, she held him so he didn't lean backwards. She gently pulled down the mask til the material was nothing more than if it was a turtle neck to a sweater. She closed her eyes briefly and touched his cheek. Akumi slowly began to let her vampire half take over. Then she opened her eyes again and laid her head gently on his shoulders as her vampire blood became fully active.

"I hope this works…" She whispered.

She sweetly kissed his neck and then bared her vampire fangs as she bit into his neck, letting her bloodlines flow into him. As the blood went into his body, she prayed the reaction would help him wake up and live.

When she had bitten into him, his eyes slightly widened from the sudden blood injection. His fingers slowly flexed and his glassy eye slowly blinked. He began to bite his lower lip as he felt his body regain the will to move. Akumi felt his body stop feeling so confused and she withdrew from his neck and she became herself again. After blinking a few times, his eye looked less gray from the sign of a lost spirit. After a few minutes of clenching his fists and dizzily blinking, his vision returned to normal and he found himself looking into the eyes of the one he loved.

"A…ku…mi?"

He adjusted himself slightly so he felt less like he would fall over any second. Suddenly, a quick jot of pain hit his neck and he touched the spot where she bit him, only to feel the pain vanish and have warm blood touch his fingertips.

_She didn't…_ Kakashi thought, remembering the promise she made to him the other day.

He began to fell less weak and he could sense his white chakra becoming an overwhelming burden again. He was beginning to come back to normal. He knew the answer to this situation.

_She did._

After moving his limbs and moving his shoulders back and forth, it took him a second to figure out that his vision didn't feel right. It didn't feel like it has been for years. It occurred to him that his vision wasn't showing him any signs of predictions on movement.

It hit him that his Sharingan wasn't right.

He frantically reached up behind his head- slightly ignoring Akumi recoiling from the sudden movement he made- and began to untie his headband. The minute he felt the knot come undone, Kakashi released the ends of his headband and let it fall to the earth.

What Akumi saw- that Kakashi couldn't figure out yet- was that his Sharingan wasn't there. Akumi saw two, bright, black eyes staring at her… and they seemed slightly confused.

"Something isn't right about me." He said meekly, not knowing what to say yet. "What's wrong with me? Can you see it at all?"

She lowered her ears as she looked to the side a bit. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to bite you but… I was scared and couldn't think of any better solution. You now have my blood flowing in you, my vampire half…which means you've inherited some of the bloodline abilities as well…"

Kakashi blinked, startled by the information. He had an idea that this happened, but he was startled about being right about it. She looked back at him nervously, worried about his reaction.

"The reason you feel different is because your Sharingan has become suppressed by the Hirogan, meaning that you no longer have to cover your left eye. But you'll still be able to access its power… it might take a few days though. And as you remember, your life span will also increase, along with your recovery rate, but first your body will have to adjust to the new abilities… it won't hurt though."

Kakashi didn't say anything for a second. He was surprised that his Sharingan is no longer there. He was actually glad that he could bring it up by will and not have to cover his eye any longer. He looked at her more closely to see that she was feeling guilty about the whole thing.

"I'm sorry as well for having you involved in this…" She said softly. "I just wanted to keep you and Puppy safe. I didn't want for you to use your chakra, knowing that something… terrible might… happen." She started to get teary-eyed, feeling so lame for apologizing to him. "And I should have also told you more… about how I could open the gates… about the terrible family secret… all of it. But I was so afraid… I just didn't want to lose anyone dear to me again…"

She couldn't hold back any longer. Kakashi became slightly sympathetic when she started crying and she leaned against him, feeling so vulnerable.

"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. I promise to tell you everything, not to hide anything anymore… I mean it! Just please… don't scare me like that. Don't ever leave me… I can't stand the thought of being left alone ever again…"

She started to tremble a bit, letting out all the pain that was held up inside for so long. He looked down at her and he could feel her trembling, so he wrapped his arms around her and slightly moved back and forth. He rested his head on top of hers and he briefly kissed her on top of her head.

"You don't have to apologize. I'm just glad we're with each other." He said softly.

He hugged her a little tighter, giving her a signal as if to tell her to let out the pain. He was more than glad to have her in his arms. And he wanted her to let it all out and not be so tense.

"Is there anything you wish to tell me?" He asked warmly.

Her hands gently held onto his vest. The comfort of him being there, of him holding her in his arms, brought a sense of relief to her heart and her mind. She sniffled a bit, as she slowly stopped crying. Her ears lifting up a bit as she started to smile softly.

"I'm so happy to have you here with me. You've always had a way of making me feel safe…" She closed her eyes briefly, sighing happily. "There's so much I want to tell you… things you should know about me and such. But, maybe I just tell you the main things first. The ones I held in the longest… and the ones… I was afraid to tell you…"

She wrapped her arms around him, as she now had the strength to tell him the things of the past. He sighed slightly, for he liked how her arms were wrapped around him.

"I'll only tell you of three things for now." She started. "They include the incident that happened a long time ago, my history as the Lotus Assassin, and an event… that had a big impact on the main clans." Her eyes saddened a bit, but she continued. "The incident happened shortly after the birth of the twins; they were about 5 years old. As you know, I'm part vampire and part wolf daemon, which was considered a dangerous combination to our clans, since the vampires and the wolves were clashing with each other. Along with being the container for Muttsubi- the secondary six-tailed wolf- I was considered the greatest weapon as well as the greatest threat to the clan. It started out, when I saw the elders discussing about how they were going to ban my mother, blaming her for birthing such a beast into the family. That's when I lost my control on my emotions and my darker, demonic half awakened. My body began to move on its own as the seal on my back that helped contain Muttsubi had weakened. My bitter, angry, and vengeful emotions consumed my thoughts as I violently attacked and killed the elders. But my thirst for vengeance still wasn't satisfied. So I appeared outside the house, using my charka to engulf it, filling every inch of the house and within minutes, I killed the whole clan. Shortly after that, I passed out and wasn't able to move for two days. And that's why I was afraid to bite someone, if I gave into my vampire half, it would start to unlock the darker side of me and I was afraid of repeating something like what had happened…"

Kakashi listened very carefully to her words, wanting to take in everything she told him. He wanted to hear this... all of it. Akumi's ears lowered as she closed her eyes, but she was able to stay calm, as she was still held within his arms.

"Now, my history as the Lotus Assassin." She continued slightly in a monotone. "This was when the Akatsuki took me in and trained me, so I could work for them. They gave me two missions; in the beginning- when the Akatsuki was recently formed- Koriysu had me kill the ANBU captain in each of the different countries. I did as I was told and people grew to fear me, even by just mentioning my name alone; it sent shivers down their spines. They called me the Lotus Assassin because I moved swiftly, gracefully and I always killed my victims with Taijutsu techniques. That's why I had all of those forehead protectors… And then, when Madara was after all the Bijuu, he spared me and used me as a last resort to hunt down other Jinchuuriki."

Recalling the past was painful for her, but she wanted him to know as much as possible about her life. She wanted to be able to move on and not hold onto the past. And moving on was also what Kakashi wanted for her too. It was why he still remained quiet as he took in everything once again.

"The last one will really shock you." She started nervously. "When the main clans were attacked- the Uchiha Clan, the Hyuuga Clan, and…yours…the Hatake Clan- our clan decided to seek vengeance. The elders summoned those ravage dog daemons… and this was the one main thing I didn't ever want to tell you. I was afraid of how'd you react… if I knew that something like this was going to happen… I would of done anything to stop it… I mean it…"

The talk of the Dog Daemon Massacre did surprise him a little bit. But he knew very, very little about that event. After all, it happened when his grandfather was no more than 16-years-old. It was before even his father was born. But it did shock him bad enough when he realized that _her_ clan tried to kill _his_ clan. Thinking about her past made him thankful that his grandfather was smart enough to run instead of fight like the rest of the clan... as what his father told him. He was glad he was able to _be_ alive in the first place.

"I'm really, really, sorry… please forgive me for not telling you…" She started to get tears in her eyes, feeling horrible for telling him about it, it pained her to even mention it in front of him.

The word 'forgive' came from her lips and it broke his concentration. He smiled and closed his eyes, now having his head resting comfortably on her head.

"There's no need to forgive me." Kakashi said softly. "That was something that happened... _years_ ago... about 78 years to be exact." The math was complicated, which was why he held his words for a second. "But I am glad that you are telling me this."

He started to choose his words carefully again, for he had taken a breath to speak, but held it in. Akumi could feel it in his chest. He didn't want to say anything to upset her, but he did want to put a smile on her face. Instead, he had decided not to say anything and let her talk until she was finished. Akumi, however, sat there quietly for a few minutes. She was unsure about what to say next as she started to zone out a bit. She began to think back to the past and pretty soon one memory arouse.

"...Momma..." She mumbled softly, saying it as she thought to herself.

Kakashi heard her voice and blinked for a few minutes, wondering why she had said that. She didn't know she said it in front of him cause all she could focus on for awhile was her memory. She wasn't sure why she was thinking of her, it might have been the fact that, besides Kakashi, her mother used to care for her… just like he was doing now. She kept that moment of happiness for a while as she closed her eyes and softly smiled. He could sense she was getting calm and he slowly relaxed. As she started to hum a song to herself, one that her mother always sang to her, she held herself within her arms. Kakashi heard her humming and his entire body slowly, but completely, relaxed. He always liked to hear her sing. The only thing he wanted to do was listen to her for now.

And at the same time, he was thinking everything he was hoping would go great.

_Now that the Akatsuki are out of the way and, hopefully, anything else that will delay the fact that I want to go home..._ He smiled slightly, getting distracted from what he was originally thinking. _Finally... home. I can take my family and go home. I can finally show Akumi around Akuma and teach her where everything in the house is... like I did with Puppy. And, since we're engaged, I can make the engagement official... I know just the ring to give her!_

His thoughts were laying themselves out in his mind a little bit too fast, but he was able to keep up with them. _I can introduce her to a few of my friends if she's interested... let her meet Ryoku too. I'm sure her and Ryoku would understand each other a little... I mean, with Ryoku being a Jinchuuriki as well. Take Akumi out to the Yoko Club every now and then. They have some pretty good and inexpensive food... oh, now that I think about it, when we get back to the Hidden Daemon, I'm never taking Puppy to an Ichiraku Ramen Bar ever again. Too expensive... damn, why haven't I thought of that before? Oh yeah, I spoiled her._

He tried not to laugh as he thought, or else he might make Akumi think he went insane. _I can go do the same thing my father did a long time ago: Do a victory dance, then go run to the Elders and tell them, "Ha, ha I'm doing my job." _He stopped to think about what he made himself bring up. Then he thought very seriously.

_Maybe after Akumi gets comfortable being married and living a safe life in Akuma... I wonder if she'd be okay with me wanting more kids... kids of our own._


	15. A Beautiful Sight

**A Beautiful Sight**

After a few minutes of being comforted by each other, Akumi snapped out off her trance and looked up at Kakashi with a curious expression.

_He's thinking way ahead of himself again._ She thought, with her ears twitching curiously._ I can see it in his expression on his face without using the Hirogan. But I won't tease him about it, at least now._

She nuzzled his neck and growled softly to get his attention. Kakashi brought his gaze down to look at her in the eyes.

"As much as I enjoy sitting here with you, we should really get up and get ready for our trip back to Akuma." Akumi suggested simply.

Kakashi nodded. "You're right. We should get going."

She gently pushed him back as she slowly got up and yawned. Then she stretched out her arms, her back and then her legs. When she finished, she smiled at him as she helped him stand up. He felt slightly wobbly, so he was grateful that she was giving him a boost. He could probably have the ability to stand. It was getting up that could be a challenge. He stumbled around the time his knees bent and he was on his tiptoes to try and push himself up. Akumi would hold a firm grip on his hand and tried to pull him up steadily. Eventually, Kakashi gained his balance and now both of them were on their feet.

"I can't wait to go to Akuma, where I'll be able to live peacefully with you and Puppy." Akumi said as she watched Kakashi rocked his hips, trying to get the blood flowing again and his body moving. "And, I can't wait to meet this Cassie person… I'll have fun tormenting her… hee he…" She smirked slightly as her ears twitched excitedly.

Kakashi took his mind off himself and looked at Akumi. _That will be a weird combo._ He thought flatly. _An Ainoko with wolf and vampire blood verses a Yajukage who's pure water Daemon. That'll be one hell of a party…_

"Now then, let's get Puppy and head on out." She said and started to head towards the exit. She began to walk slower as her vampire half started to bug her again.

_**See, I told you it would work…**_ The vampire self snickered. _**You really should trust me more often. But don't forget about what might happen when you arrive in Akuma. I know you know what I'm talking about.**_

Akumi slightly frowned. _Yes, I know, there's the chance of the others disliking me because of my clan. I also remember how others look down upon vampires, which will be a double negative for me. That, and the fact that the Crimson Lotus poison still resides in my body_.

Her vampire half seemed to be more talkative than it used to. _**And lastly! When you drank that poison, you became immune to any type of poison. But while it settles in your body, your daemon blood will alter off and on for a while. So be careful of your actions, especially while in Akuma.**_

Akumi sighed as she stopped at the entrance. She looked over at the sunset and her ears flattened against her head. As she stood there, one could- if they focused enough- see a faint outline of her mother standing right beside her as they both gazed out at the sunset. "Iterashai okaa-san…to arigatou…" _'Goodbye mother…and thank you…'_

Kakashi overheard her and understood what she said. The spunky life in him left as he felt her pain. He knew what it was like to loose parents and the thought of his own parents left him to think about memories he hasn't thought about in years. Some were happy and some were painful. But, eventually, one thought came to mind that quickly haunted him there and now.

_The Elder Council will hate me when I come home._ He thought sourly._ They'll hate me for making "the wrong mistake" for my clan… I'll be just like my father and my grandfather…_

He tried not to sink back down to the ground and hug his knees to keep from whimpering. But his body did quiver and shake from the sudden loss of balance.

_The minute the Elders see her, they'll sense all the blood in her and they'll get furious._ His black eyes saddened._ To think that I thought I would do something good for my clan for a change._ All he could do was let out a sigh. _I love Akumi and that is my choice. However- Clan-wise- I fucked up…_

He remembered how upset the majority of the Elders in Akuma were when Kakashi made Puppy his daughter. They thought that- being a human clan- the clan should be restored with humans instead of daemons. Kakashi knew that. He was reminded about it for years. He quickly brushed the thoughts aside and looked at Akumi. The sunset had hit just right to give her a bright red orange glow around her body. To Kakashi, it was a beautiful sight. He started to walk away from the alter, but quickly he stopped. He slowly turned to look back at her the minute she turned to face him and their eyes locked with each other's. For some reason, Kakashi had seen that look before. That strong and powerful look in her eyes was like his father's. That beautiful and intelligent look on her face was like his mother's. And that sacrificing look in her body language was almost like… Tenkei.

"For some reason," he said, his voice beginning to sound like he was teasing. He definitely was, but he wanted to make her laugh. "I forgot where the house was. Are you sure the Hirogan doesn't give people short term memory loss every once in a while?"

She snapped out of her thoughts and turned around, walking over to him. "No, it doesn't." She said in a monotone. "But I wish it did…" She sighed, as dreary thoughts once again began to bug her.

_I'm worried about him. Even though I don't know much about his past, I do know one thing for sure. Those Elders are going to be relentless… as soon as they find out about my bloodline._ She stared into his eyes, seeing the worry as he tried to lighten the present mood. He gave her a look back to let her know it was still on his mind and it wouldn't go away for a while. _I don't know what I'm going to do. I'll be doomed to constantly be reminded of how I messed up, how I couldn't control my strength, and how I couldn't even keep my clan alive… and when they find out about me being from this clan… damn. I can't even dare let them find out about the Lotus Assassin part. This is going to be a nightmare…_

She looked a bit to the left, her ears lowered slightly. She looked down to her hands, remembering how they used to be constantly soaked in blood. Kakashi's eyes saddened when he saw that look on her face yet again. It had been a while since he saw that depressed look on her face, but he knew it well and he didn't like it.

After thinking about it a little too deeply, her other half decided to interrupt her. _**"Of coarse it might turn out to be a nightmare, that's what your name translates to and it's derived from your grandmother's name Akumu meaning "nightmare". You really should stop thinking pessimistic thoughts, it's not good for your mental health."**_

She laughed softly to herself. _Your one to talk…I just wish I knew a way to get rid of this blood…like either getting rid of the Muttsubi… or even, maybe being able to be human, forever… no longer carrying demonic blood…_

Her vampire half continued to bug her. _**"Oh really… do you think that's a smart idea? Being human when you already marked him… and may I remind you that it was because of me that he's living… hmm… so, maybe instead of trying to hold things off, avoiding them, you should learn to face and live with them…"**_

She knew that her vampire half was right, yet she secretly didn't want to admit it. _Shut up already… damn, your so annoying… anything else you wish to tease me with?_

To Kakashi, it might have seemed like Akumi was losing it. However, who wouldn't, especially if you saw her mumbling to herself as she bickered with her vampire half.

"_**No, I'm done for now."**_ The vampire half admitted. However, a cocky epilog followed afterwards._** "I can't wait to see the other females reactions. It should be entertaining."**_

That's when Akumi tilted her head a bit. _What do you mean… their reactions?_

Her vampire half grinned inside and made an evil chuckle as Akumi knew what she meant. _Oh yeah, that should be fun… they better beware because he's mine… I claimed him and it's a good thing that the mark is permanent… kind of like a tattoo!_

Akumi smiled happily as she went over- her hips swinging side-to-side which definetly caught Kakashi's attention- and wrapped her arms around the Hatake's waist. She leaned her head against his chest and let out a soft growl, her ears twitching a bit and her tail slowly swishing side-to-side.

"Let's go home, Kakashi…" She said softly.

To Kakashi, the tone in her voice sent one chill running down his back. Not like he didn't enjoy the feel of her around his waist, but the minute he saw her tail swishing with delight, he could tell she was feeling protective of him. So, in turn, he simply groaned and slyly smirked. He slid the mask back onto his face and put his arm around her shoulder.

"Yeah… home. And away from all this…" He added in a monotone.

Akumi smiled and moved her shoulders a few times to get really cuddled into his arms. Even though Akumi was really tight into Kakashi's ribs, the two were still able to walk back to the house without Kakashi tripping over his mate.

They both walked back to the Hirogatsu house to find Puppy kicking her hacky sack in the air and- only twice- running over to go fetch it when she kicked it too far away. After one final time of fetching the small bag of beans, her ears twitched when she heard their footsteps and her eyes lit up when she turned and saw the two walking over to the house. She saw her father's new look… the look of two black eyes and a headband on his forehead, and not around his eye. She could still see the gash across the eye though… that was a dead giveaway that the Sharingan must have been suppressed by something.

It didn't matter. Cause the two would look at her funny the minute she jumped up and shouted, "Mommy! Daddy!"

Kakashi definetly stopped short. He didn't think Puppy would call Akumi her "mom" for about a good year. 'Shocking' was all that came into his mind during that quick three seconds of surprise.

Akumi, on the other hand, was stuck in shock for a few minutes. She didn't know why Puppy had just suddenly called her 'mommy.' It seemed a bit early for that and Puppy hadn't spent a whole lot of time with her. But, she remembered back to when she had called her 'daughter,' before she left to go seek revenge on her father and Akatsuki.

_Speaking of such a matter._ Kakashi thought, having Puppy's statement give him a reminder. He had begun to dread what he was about to do. He slowly tried to shake it off, but the thoughts eventually bugged him and so he wanted to know what she would think down the line when he was desperate for it.

Before Puppy got too close to hear them talk, Kakashi began to speak. "Akumi," he whispered to her slightly.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Kakashi started whispering to her. She looked at him with a curious expression and her tail stopped swishing.

"What is it Kakashi?" She said softly.

"There's something I gotta ask… and explain." He said, his tone shaking very slightly. Akumi could hear the fear.

_It looks like there's something on his mind…_ She thought quickly. _I wonder what it could be? Wait… he might want to discuss something about the clan thing. Hmm…_

Her vampire half decided to bug her once again with a smart-ass reminder. _**"Well, I hope you tell him about your news. Since it relates to both clans and there might trouble if you wait till Akuma to tell him. Though, he'll eventually find out, even if you don't mention it."**_

She mentally glared at her vampire half. _Shut up, I got to first see what he has to discuss. I'll tell him at the right time, ok?_

With that, her vampire half stopped talking and only let out a sigh.

Kakashi swallowed hard, trying to find the guts to say it now. He would have preferred to talk about it after she had gotten accustomed to her new life in the Hidden Daemon. However, it was either he told her, or the Elders explained to her and got straight to the brutal point. He would have preferred to slowly explain it.

"Well… you see… like I had said a few days ago… daemon or not, you're going to end up being my wife. And so a few people- the Elders especially- would be nagging me about 'settlement'." He swallowed again. "I know I'm bringing up the idea of kids to you again, Akumi. I know the last time I brought it up, you went nuts. But I was curious as to whether or not… you'd ever be interested in that, now that the situations have changed."

He quickly began to defend himself just in case. "I'm not saying I want kids the minute after we get married or something. Yes, there is a saying about my clan that us Hatake boys are perverts, but I got smarter after I took in Puppy so I'm not that perverted!" She smiled and chuckled slightly as he lowered his voice and a form of loving softness crept into it. "After all, I do love you and respect your boundaries. But… the more time I spend with you… the more I think that kids seem nice someday."

He stopped and held his breath. In the past week, he had changed a lot. At first, the Elders had shocked him when they told him he had to have kids or else… he loathed finding out the 'or else' part. But he never ever wanted to rush himself into a marriage. He was a Virgo after all, just waiting for the right person to come along. Kakashi looked at Akumi's expression and knew that she was that right person. And he wanted to talk to her about everything that ran through his mind. After all, isn't that what you're supposed to do in a relationship?

"If this bugs you, feel free to say so." He said kindly. "I will understand. I was… just… wondering what you think about this? Besides, I'd rather be the one to discuss it than see those old bastards attempt to explain it with too much information." He smiled under his mask. "You know what I mean?"

At first she gave him a blank look, but then smiled. "No need to worry..." She said, smiling.

Kakashi relaxed at the relief that overcame him. He felt the pressure of that topic release and his shoulders became less tense. But Akumi's face quickly turned a little red as embarrassment overcame her.

"I... ahhhh... actually… have to tell you something related to that…" She looked a bit to the side nervously. "I...I..."

Kakashi looked at her, waiting for what she had to say. One eyebrow raised and he silently held his breath. She knew it was the time to say it but for some reason she was unable to say it easily.

Slowly she forced out the words, "I... I'm... pregnant." She mumbled the last part; her ears lowering a bit and she was slightly in embarrassment and was very nervous.

Kakashi froze. He had a weird feeling that the last sexual encounter probably did the trick. His fingers moved and made his fists clench and relax a few times before his whole his body shook. It wasn't from shock... but more from excitement.

"What? You are?" he whispered quickly. This made Akumi's face turn a bright red as she nodded to his dumbfounded little question.

His black eyes turned bright with joy and he let out his silent deep breath. His voice and his body were so silent and still that he forgot Puppy; who had slowed down her running pace to a walk and had her arms open and ready for a hug from her father. She quickly stopped when she saw the look on her Kakashi's face. She hadn't seen such a look since that day when she almost died from major injuries. She remembered that look in his eyes as tears were running down his face and he was hugging her, glad that she was alive.

This face was almost the same; a look of overwhelming joy... only the tear stage hasn't taken place yet. Kakashi finally took notice, looked at Puppy and smiled under his mask.

"Oh... s-sorry kiddo." He said, his voice sounding just the same as last time. Happy sounding acting like nothing else had happened. "Are you set for home?"

Puppy blinked for a minute, thinking about whether or not she should ask her father why he was this way. But eventually she smiled and nodded to his question. She turned around jogged ahead. Akumi smiled at him and slowly began to follow the three-tailed fox. Kakashi found this his opportunity to let out some of his emotions. He quickly ran up in front of her, turned his whole body so he was fully facing Akumi, and he hugged her tightly. Akumi's chest puffed out in a bit of a self-defense, since she was slightly not expecting him to run up and startle her like that. He was hugging tight enough that Akumi could feel his white chakra slowly seeping from his wounds. It was a dead sign that not only he still wasn't used to such a powerful chakra, but also he was too damn excited that his chakra had begun to dance; its flow getting its energy from his emotions.

"Thank you." He said, not sure what to say to her. "People thought I'd someday be a good father... for real." He let go of her, but still had his hands on her shoulders. "And… personally, I think you'd be a great mother..."

She smiled; glad to see him so happy. She gently grabbed onto his vest and looked up at him. "Thank you," She said, "for having that confidence in me."

Kakashi smiled and rested his head on hers for a brief moment. She blushed every so slightly, feeling at ease. But she paused; knowing that she had to finish the rest. "And... um... there's more..."

She glanced to the side briefly. He removed his head from it's resting place and tried to look into her eyes.

"When I first felt the signs… being a daemon and all, we know it right away, so I went to the Konoha Hospital to check while you went to go get Puppy before we left... and let me tell you never again take me to a hospital... I hate them... all that white…" She gave a disgusted look.

"Oh I agree," He interjected. "But I have different reasons that I will explain later."

Akumi giggled. Then she continued. "Well... they... they said... that there might be twins." Her ears began to twitch nervously, wondering how he'd react to this.

More goods news just meant a happier Yajukage. The good side to him being an adult was that he could contain his excitement. If he didn't, he would have been running around; jumping up and down like a happy five-year old who got their first puppy dog. Instead, his happy smile turned into a big grin. It was easy to tell because of how the look in his soft black eyes got brighter. And he couldn't speak. All he could say through his look was 'I'm looking forward to this very much.'

When he finally let out the held breath- again- and finally said, "Twins? Wow. Okay then!"

Akumi's face turned red and smiled. She was relieved by this response as well.


	16. The Vampire Half

**The Vampire Half**

Eventually, when he got his whole sense of speech back, he held up his arms and put them around her. Akumi giggled and looked up at him.

"Then why are we just standing here?" He said sweetly. "Let's get going." He paused for a minute, and then said; "If there's anything you want to take with you from the house, feel free to go get it. I'm gonna go grab Puppy before she gets herself lost."

In a flash, he pulled down his mask, kissed her gently on the cheek, and then took off to go fetch Puppy. He ran pretty quickly, for it took a few minutes for Akumi to face the direction he left. Akumi smiled, at seeing Kakashi's happiness.

"It's a wonder how long he'll be able to contain that energy." She said, sighing.

She walked back into the house as she packed up her books and the photo of her siblings and mother. Her smile turned to one of sadness as she thought back to the fading image of Damien.

"I'll always love you too..." She said softly as she gathered herself and walked back to the front yard to wait for Kakashi.

* * *

Puppy didn't run very far, for Kakashi snuck up behind her and picked her up by the waist. She giggled and squirmed as her father spun around and walked back to the house.

"C'mon kiddo. We must wait for Akumi. She might want stuff back from the house and you're too quick." He said in a witty tone.

"Tou-chan!" She squealed and quickly crossed her arms. She looked up and then asked, "By the way, why are you so happy all of a sudden?"

That same look of joy returned in that big grin and bright eyes. "Oh you wanna know why?" He said in a monotone, simply to tease her. When she gave him a look that said she didn't buy it, he looked down at her and said in a soft voice, "Let's just say that pretty soon you'll have two siblings to look after..."

Puppy's ears twitched as she took in what her father was trying to say. Then her face turned straight and emotionless. She just hung there as Kakashi dragged her back to the house. When the three finally met up, he noticed the sour look on her face.

"Alright. Now what's wrong?" He asked in a more firm voice.

"Nothing." She replied in a monotone.

Quickly Kakashi began to ponder on what her problem was. He hadn't seen her this sulky since their first day as teacher and student; she hated his training; it was why she wasn't in the brightest of moods for a good week.

Akumi looked from Kakashi to Puppy, slightly curious. _I wonder..._ She decided to lighten the mood briefly. "Well, shall we go? Or now do I have to wait for the two of you...?" She said, smiling lightly.

Kakashi looked up to Akumi, deciding to leave Puppy alone for the time being. "Nope. Let's go." He paused. "And um... this time, can we walk? I'm just not used to your way... yet."

"No problem and I don't think I should try flying after all those events." She said and began walking ahead, letting her mind try and be at ease. But Puppy's sudden strange behavior was bugging her.

Puppy walked ahead and Kakashi slowly trailed behind. Kakashi knew that Akumi was also confused about Puppy's attitude. All three of them remained silent for the whole trip. The two eldest of the adults were so lost as to why Puppy had this look of anger and resentment on her face. After they left the village and were walking down a trail that Kakashi knew was an easy shortcut to Akuma, the Hatake figured it out first. It hit him hard and painfully.

"Oh kiddo…" He said as if he was ready to cry. "You're not upset cause you think we'll ignore you when the kids are born, do you?"

When they stopped, Puppy's ears sank low and she looked at Kakashi through the corner of her eye. Then her eyes moved from Kakashi to Akumi. "Will I be?" she asked sadly.

Now all of Kakashi's excitement about the kids was shot out of him. He never thought that Puppy would take the news like this. Akumi had paused when she heard the word 'ignore'. It triggered another memory, and now she was in empathy of how Puppy might be feeling.

"I know that feeling… of being used to being the only one... to have all that attention… and all of that love…" Akumi went up to Puppy, kneeling a bit and gently hugged her. "No, you'll never be. I won't let it happen... I promise." She said reassuringly to her. _I won't let her feel the pain I had to feel... never again._

Puppy sniffled and closed her eyes. Then a smile and sense of comfort returned. "Thanks. I feel a little bit better."

Kakashi walked over and, from behind, slowly wrapped his arms around his daughter and let her feel like she was being cuddled. "Nor will I let you be hurt by this. I'm sorry if you thought this meant you'd be ignored."

Puppy's ears perked up and one of her tails wagged in relief. "That's good to know."

Akumi slowly let go and stood up. "Now... let us continue." She said as she started walking again. But after moving a few feet, she stopped. "What the hell…?" She bent forward, feeling a sudden surge of pain. "... Naghh...dda...mn…"

"Akumi, are you okay?" Kakashi asked.

She started to stumble as her vampire half interrupted. _**"Need help?"**_

Akumi clenched her sides. "Yes, just for a little while..."

"_**Fine… then I'm taking over."**_

Akumi calmed down a bit as her black chakra lightly enveloped her, turning her into her vampire half. Her hair was now long in length, almost ebony black, her wolf ears and tail had disappeared. She slowly turned around, her eyes now a deep, crimson-like red and her fangs grew a bit longer.

The two ninja stepped back once before Puppy walked over to Akumi, her tails wagging and trying to make everything seem okay. "What's wrong?" She asked a bit in concern.

Akumi sighed as she stretched out and looked at Puppy. "Nothing that I can't handle for her..." she said a little coolly.

Kakashi knew that this was her vampire half. He could tell because her features changed. Her outfit changed, too. Her clothes changed to a lavender t-shirt and ankle cut jeans. Also on her ankles were silver bracelets that seemly appeared on her right ankle but one of the bracelets looked like a lock-shackle. If that didn't give it away, the sharp red eyes and small vampire fangs gave it all away. It made his ponytail bristle a little. But he had no idea what he was getting all worked up about. Akumi never really told him about her vampire side. So he relaxed a bit and kept both his eyes on her, just to see what the vampire side was like.

Puppy had no trouble with this and just nodded. "Okay, just wondering." She said.

As they were walking, he eventually was calm and used to this new side. They had been walking all day (much to her vampire half's distain) and it was sundown by the time they got to the gates. They were no bigger than Konoha's gates, but they were shimmery, like somebody put stain on the wood to give it a glossy look. It was painted red on the border and was given a silvery touch on the inside edges of the gates. It looked quite pretty with the sunset. At the gate, a boy probably around Puppy's age, maybe older, was sitting there with his black wings curled around him to keep warm. All three of them have had some idea of the climate in the Land of Daemons; it was constantly cold at night, but really warm in the day. The boy was also asleep; both Akuma ninja knew that the bird daemon was taking his guard shift less serious and using it as an excuse to nap. Kakashi walked over to the bird daemon and gently tapped him on the leg with his foot.

"Stop sleeping on the job. You've been reported for that over ten times." He said firmly.

As the bird daemon shot up and looked at Kakashi like he had no idea what the Yajukage was talking about.

"My lord… Kakashi-sama! Ahhhh… welcome back…?" The ninja said nervously.

Akumi looked around and then towards the bird daemon. The boy looked back at her and tried to identify her appearance. "Cold again… like last time," She said to herself.

"Of course it's cold." Kakashi said, after getting the boy to stand up. "It always gets cold at night."

"Oh well…" She walked past them and into the village, as one could faintly hear the clanking of the bracelets.

Puppy kept her eye on the bracelet for a few seconds, for she never saw it before. They followed Kakashi as they took him across the town. Puppy missed the town. She saw a lot of familiar people and enjoyed the scent of healthy, fresh air. Kakashi led them to the academy; once there, he turned around and stopped. "I have to go in here before I head home. Gotta let Ryoku know I'm back."

"Fine, I'll wait." The Vampire said. Puppy nodded to her father in agreement.

After he left, Akumi looked at herself, noticing that some other things had changed about her appearance. "Forgot about that thing..." She looked down at her ankle. "Guess I can freely move now... odd she's letting me have total control…"

"Is it not like her to give you full control, or something?" She asked, curious about Akumi's many sides.

"At first, she despised me..." She started, "due to the curse we vampires carry. And she got so afraid… that when the cravings appeared, which she would deny me of, it would be physical torment for her." She sighed. "But, the plus of me is that I can handle any kind of pain better than she can... especially poison." She looked around, slightly edgy and slightly excited. "She just had to take that damn Crimson Lotus poison... and now cause her blood is out of whack, she needs to rest. That's why I'm in control."

Kakashi had finished his report and notification and returned fairly quick. Neither of them paid attention to him, so he just stood at the door and waited to see if they would notice. But Puppy was too busy to notice Kakashi's aura and Akumi's vampire half didn't care.

"But if her blood's out of whack... then wouldn't that affect other parts of her body? Not just her blood?" She said, a little worried about Akumi's condition.

"Yes, it does. It also affects her demonic control over her wolf blood... it will be but a meager one. There will be times where she'll be unable to access her demonic abilities... and… there will be times where she'll be full demonic... either in my form or… wolf form. There are other side effects as well but only meager and unimportant ones compared to what I just listed." She said, sighing afterwards.

"So... my dad's kids won't be affected..." Puppy mumbled. "Okay..."

Kakashi didn't hear Puppy. So he tapped her on the shoulder to get her attention. She quickly turned around and looked straight into his black eyes. She noticed the tint of brown in his original eye; something she rarely got to see. As for the other eye, it seemed a true black. But it seemed all Uchihas had true black; she saw it in Sasuke's eyes.

"You ready to go or not?" He asked her kindly.

Puppy stood up, smiled, and nodded. "Yeah. Let's go home."

"Let's... before I get restless." She looked briefly at Kakashi and then the Academy. "And due tell... when do I get to meet them? Especially that woman... Cassie... cause it's not nice to delay the inevitable." She grinned a bit.

"Soon." He said flatly. "She wasn't there when I came in, so today is not the day. Probably tomorrow." He walked ahead again and Puppy slowly trailed behind.

The vampire smirked and walked along side with Kakashi. "I'm glad to finally be out... gives me a chance to get some time in..." She grinned as she cracked her knuckles.

Kakashi looked at her, but didn't know what to say to that. Puppy didn't know what to ask. She had some questions, but couldn't put together enough to make sense. Kakashi would have said something to her, but he wasn't quiet sure what the story was behind the vampire half. He only knew the wolf side best, for he assumed _that_ side was Akumi.

Akumi looked down at her ankle again and groaned. "I could of sworn that disappeared after I left here. It's been awhile for sure... damn daemons and metal things." She scowled at the anklet like shackle.

Kakashi looked at the shackle on her ankle, but he didn't know whether or not he should ask about it. So Puppy did for him.

"What is that thing on your ankle anyway?" She asked so curiously.

Akumi turned to look at her. "Oh that. Well... normally she wouldn't let me say it but might as well since she don't have the energy to care. It's from my side and sort of her history... quite a long time ago…about shortly after the incident... I'll try and sum it up for ya."

Puppy blinked, trying to take in what she was trying to say. Kakashi just listened. He figured it would be good to listen to every side of her.

"Well, it first started when she lost control of her demonic power over me. I got the chance to do whatever the hell I wanted. So, I took the time to handle the cravings which someone got me here... in the Hidden Daemon... odd huh?" She paused for breath. "So, I was going out for a feeding when I got cornered by this guy, who I found out to be another vampire. Which was really awesome to know that there were others nearby."

"Oh yeah there are other vampires around here..." Kakashi finally said, now knowing he had a reason to talk. "A good handful at that."

Puppy looked back at her. "What happened after that?" She asked.

"Well yeah, the thing is, basically only four vampires were still left in the clan. So to see a big group of others totally got me edged up." She said, grinning. "And of course, we sought out some fun...which led to this hell of an event. I can't remember off hand who it was... but someone attacked us. We started to run but they used these weird metal chains on us..." She got a bitter look. "The blood... it was more disgusting than I'd ever imagined... and then... as me and Anthony were running, they got me with the chains. I warned him to run but he wouldn't..." Her eyes started to sadden.

Puppy blinked and her ears slightly twitched. "So... he got killed?"

"He ran after me, attacking the ones who were trying to drag us away. He managed to break the chains himself as we started to run again... but... one of them shot at me with an ice-like arrow but he got in front of it... and... he laid there... stunned... unable to move... telling me to run. But I couldn't move... so he said to leave or else I'd be breaking the vow. And I left..." She clenched her fists briefly. "... I... I was such a coward to do that."

"Vow?" Puppy asked. She was really curious now. "What vow?"

"I wanted to find a way to be free of Akumi... to have my own body again... we were going to look for a way to accomplish it... I… I... just cared so much for him… and now look. He's dead... in cold blood of those damn daemons and humans that hunted us down. When I find them..." She got a serious look on her face. "I'll kill them slowly and as painfully as possible."

"Easy now..." Kakashi began firmly. "This is a Daemon village. You'll start some commotion..." He paused. "However, like I said this _is_ Akuma, the Daemon village. Being here might give you an advantage in finding whoever you want to kill."

"I know... and that's why when I get the chance... I'm going to use the time I'm out to find them... and finish the vow me and Anthony made." She calmed down a bit.

Kakashi slowly began to understand. And the words 'to have my own body again' made him wonder. A_gain_? _Does that mean this vampire was sealed within Akumi?_

But after too long it was just too complicated and he was starting to get a little lovesick. He missed Akumi and just wanted this to go away. "By the way, how long are you planning to run around before Akumi returns?"

"It's up to her. She's the one recovering... knowing her though... hmm... most likely another hour at the most." She grinned. "Don't worry... I won't deprive you of her... lover-boy."

Puppy covered her mouth to keep from laughing. Instead, it was a few giggles. Kakashi didn't seem offended. He was quite used to it. He knew she was trying to be witty in some way, so he went and became a little of a smart-ass.

"Oh that has got to be the weakest word for me. You know I'm her fiancée now… Guess I still got to go get her ring." A smirk formed under his mask.

"Wow... it's taken you this long and you still don't have it? Jeez..." She decided to tease back. "Maybe I should keep her in... I can be as much fun too you know..."

"Who says I don't have it?" Kakashi said, this time not teasing. "I have it at home..."

"You cocky runt...you should know what I'm saying..." She laughed a bit to herself. "I might, though, keep her in just so I can have some fun of my own... hee he..."

His smirk returned and his voice got a little more... cocky. "Heh... so what _are_ you saying?"

The vampire half gave him a devilish grin in return to his smirk. "Well, what I was getting… around… to…"

Kakashi waited, but waited for only a short time. Before she could finish her sentence, she slowly lost her outfit and appearance, and returned to Akumi, Kakashi's favorite wolf self. The Hatake knew the vampire was attempting to hit on him, which Akumi probably didn't like, and took over again. She slowly plopped to the ground within an instant as she tried to catch her breath.

"Dang. I knew he was going to get on my case about this. Damn brat…" She mumbled slowly under her breath. She slowly closed her eyes and began to get lost in thought. But she just as quickly stood up when she thought she noticed something.

"No way..." She whispered in shock. Her eyes were wide open as she dashed off ahead.

Staring at her take off and very slowly going mentally blank, Kakashi gave a look of "What the fuck?" in his eyes. Puppy had to shake him a little to get at least half of his attention.

"Tou-chan... focus..."

"Eh?" He still remained the same, but was a little more 'tuned in.'

"Are we going to follow her?" Puppy asked.

"Um... kay..."

It was official. Kakashi was now kept on his feet and yet he was more aloof than before. Puppy took off ahead and he slowly began to move and follow.

_Great._ He thought dully. _If they are twins and they are half as random as she is, we're in trouble. Half and half makes a whole, if I remember correctly._


	17. Work To Do

**Work to Do**

Akumi dashed corners, quickly as she could. She almost had to jump over a ledge when she not so gracefully landed onto someone.

"Owwch..." She groaned as she blinked.

She quickly stood up when she noticed whom she landed on. A very familiar face he was… a little too familiar. It was Gaara. Puppy had followed her enough to watch her turn the corner and then hear the sound of her bashing into the sand-nin. So she turned the corner from a great distance so that incase it got ugly she wouldn't be in it.

"You know... you're getting too heavy for tackling people out of nowhere…" He grumbled while dusting himself off.

Of course, she didn't take that comment too kindly and started to lose her edge.

"What?! Are you saying that I'm fat or something?" She barked.

He stood up and looked to the side carelessly. "I'm merely stating the truth." Gaara said in a monotone.

Now usually, Akumi would just let that comment slip. But with the blant truth about her going to have twins soon, she wasn't going to let someone younger than her just insult her.

"You know Gaara! Just because you're a Kage doesn't mean you can insult me!" Her ears flattened and the fur on her tail bristled a bit.

Kakashi had finally caught up to the girls after walking slowly. He didn't feel like running; too many disasters jumbled up into his weekend when he was supposed to be on vacation with his daughter. He didn't feel like running and tiring himself anymore. Plus there were still some slight weakening affects from the Catalyst Jutsu, and he had learned once before not to run after using it; vampire bite or not, it feels like a heart attack when you run after using that Jutsu. He slowly got closer to Puppy and noticed her face; that usual freaked out face. Instead of getting closer to Akumi, he played it safe and got closer to Puppy, all the while trying to see what she was freaking out about.

Puppy, not only was freaking out, but was quickly muttering under her breath, "Kazekage-sama said the wrong thing, Kazekage-sama said the wrong thing!!!!" It was good for her to know from family that saying the blant truth to a girl in such a state was a very bad idea. Very... very... bad.

Gaara look unfazed as he continued to taunt her. "You know, you shouldn't get so stressed… it's not good for you..."

Akumi gave him a slight glare. "Like your one to talk, " She snarled. "Your the one who always was uptight... but not." She paused and decided to get at his nerves. "When you made me stay in the Sand Country just because I stole that stuffed toy of yours."

A slight look of shock hit him as he turned to her and glared.

"See, now who's still got the game... heh-heh." She said, waving a finger tauntingly at him and tilted her head, giving an innocent look.

"Sh… hut up…" Gaara growled. It was beginning to get too out of hand and, simply, not what he came to hear.

She laughed a bit to herself as she walked closer to him. "Awww… did I embarrass the poor little Kazekage?" She said tauntingly.

That's when he snapped as sand started to appear on the ground. "Shut up already!"

She paused, aware that he wasn't going to think rational now that he was angry. "Make me... you little sob-story of a brat." That's when her tone changed and demonic control disappeared as her vampire half started to appear again. The air now was charged with electricity as the two stood off in fighting stances and looks to kill.

Puppy began to back off, while as Kakashi moved forward.

"Tou-chan! That's a death sentence!!" She shouted in shock.

He didn't pay attention. He got a little closer and tried turning closer so that he was somewhat in between the two people which were ready to bring on the slaughters of all slaughters... against each other, no less.

"Hey, hey. Akumi, please try to calm down. Honestly, I've never seen someone your age pick on someone slightly younger." He paused, then said to himself with a tint of groaning, "Oh wait. Yeah I have. I pick on people, but slightly older instead of younger."

They both paused when Kakashi spoke. Akumi snapped out of it, about to make a remake but just as quickly shut her mouth. Gaara had blinked twice and acted as though nothing happened.

Figuring that now he had their attention, he turned to Gaara and asked, "So, exactly... what brings you here Gaara?"

"I came for the other part of our deal." He replied, then turning back to Akumi.

Now it was Akumi who blinked. "What the hell are you talking about Gaara? I already helped you become Kazekage, our deal is over now that I've gotten the poison."

"Has all that Sake finally caught up with you? Or did you forget that you also promised that you would help me harness the technique of using metallic sand like the once previous Kazekage was able to do…" He snipped.

Already bored and annoyed, she flipped her hair and started to walk away. "Maybe I have... but I already got plans of my own to fulfill, Gaara." And as she turned, that devilish look was in her eyes as her vampire side reappeared and she took off, full bolt into the city. Groaning and sighing at the same time, Kakashi turned his look at Gaara with tired eyes.

"Apologies for all this, Kazekage." He said. "I still have a lot left in me, and yet she's wearing me out to the point where I feel 100 years older. Until then..." He dashed off and began to chase after Akumi, hoping to settle what her many sides were up to and hoping to go home and rest.

Puppy turned to face Gaara, bowed respectfully, and took off after Kakashi, leaving Gaara to get irritated at the wolf daemon once again. Gaara watched them dash off after Akumi and decided to wait till she started to act less random.

"Women... out of all the ones I have to deal with, it had to be one like her." He sighed as he disappeared in a whirl of sand to watch from afar.

Meanwhile, Akumi's vampire half was having fun dashing through the city. "Man, am I glad to be able to finally spread my wings and have a run of the town." She said, smirking. She took off into the air to view the city above. "Now onto settling that score of mine... after I do some quick feeding first." She dropped to the ground and started to look for her first victim.

It didn't take long for Kakashi to get caught up with her. He stood on top of the gate's doors, just watching her trying to find a victim. He, on the other hand, has no idea what or why she was searching around the area, so he jumped down and walked a little closer to her. He felt tired out. All he wanted to do was go home and rest. Anyone could tell now; it showed in his slouched posture, slow movement, and a weak look in his eyes. He was beat and wanted to clear it up and go home.

"I'm sorry to ask and pester you..." he started. A shocker... he was being polite to a side of Akumi that wasn't the wolf form. That had to be a sign of desperateness. "But what exactly to you plan to do?"

She tilted her head slightly as she looked at him. "What else? I'm catching myself a quick bite to eat." She grinned, as she briefly put her hand on her neck. "You don't know how long I've waited to settle those cravings of mine." Quickly, she dusted herself off from when she had landed a little earlier. "But, I guess that you're not up to me roaming around? I still don't quite see what she sees in you, but I'll give you a chance. Let's head back to where your place is." As just as quickly as she changed her mind, one would be perplexed as to what her real motive was. "But don't think I'll play nice once I know where your home is..." Once again, that devilish look was in her eyes.

_That_ made him a little on the uncomfortable side. She sounded threatening; he didn't like it one bit. But he wanted to go home, and wanted to take the family back. That meant that if he wanted to take Akumi back, he'd have to deal with the vampire side until Akumi was ready to take control.

"Try to be a little polite, at least. I'm not asking you to be goody-goody, but just to have some respect." He said firmly. "But for everything else, I do not care; just no killing anyone. Now, my body feels drained and I just wish to go home."

She blinked at the response. He stopped and held his breath for a second. He closed his eyes and then quietly let it out. "Plus, your 'cravings' as you call it must be outside of the village, please. It will bother me a ton if you killed someone in the village. And you'd be jeopardizing your peaceful stay here if you do." He turned around and said, "If you'd like, go on and do your thing. Otherwise, I'm leaving..."

"Wow, now that almost did sound a bit threatening... heh." She smiled slightly to herself. "Don't worry, when I feed it doesn't result in death. The victim just passes out from the slight blood loss and the little extra I add when I bite into them. I like to inject a little knock-out toxin into their blood stream so that their body isn't effected from the sudden loss of blood."

Kakashi was about to turn and face her, but she walked up to him, and then they were looking at each other, up-close and dead on. "I'll be going now," She said, "there's a certain brat that I'd like to settle a score with..." She opened her wings and suddenly vanished into thin air.

He closed his eyes to keep the dust out until he couldn't sense her demonic aura anymore. He let out a sigh and hoped that soon Akumi would decide enough's enough.

_Maybe later on she'll contain the other sides._ He thought to himself.

As the vampire silently crept through the city, she was totally unaware of another person keeping close watch on her.

"Now's the chance..." She said, keeping mute, and letting her senses wake up when suddenly, before she could dodge, she was none other than tackled by the Kazekage himself as he placed a pendent around her neck.

"Maybe this will teach you to learn who you are messing with…" He said angrily.

Before she could utter a word, he disappeared in a whirl of sand, leaving her half confused and half pissed off.

"What in seven hell's was that all about?!!" She shouted aloud.

Kakashi had already dragged back into the village and to his home. Once at the door, he slowly opened it and heard the sound of Puppy's chattering. That was something he could live with. But if she was talking, then that meant someone was in the house. He opened the door a little wider and slipped in. Puppy was leaning over the couch and chatting away. In the kitchen, a familiar face was resting his arms on the island counter top trying not to burst out laughing. Kakashi forgotten all about him, sadly; forgot the fact that he was here and had been watching his place while he and Puppy went to Konoha. James; the last Hatake other than himself. So if James was here, that must mean Puppy was chattering with Kiken, his Hell Wolf; his summoned companion.

Puppy turned around and waved, "Hi dad! Guess what? Uncle James was trying to surprise us with a house spotless of dirt! Can you believe that?"

James turned to look at the doorway and smiled. "Ah, Kakashi!" he stopped himself short when he saw Kakashi's tired face. "You look pretty pathetic. What did you do?"

The only reply he got from Kakashi was a tired groan and a pissed off look.

"Hey Tou-chan. Where's mom?" Puppy said, slightly confused.

James blinked a few times and looked at Puppy. "Erm... did I miss something in your chattering?"

A white wolf lifted its head and stared at the fox girl. "I thought you didn't have a mother?" it said in a quiet, feminine voice.

"Heh, heh... about that." Puppy said scratching her cheek.

"Somebody found a girlfriend, didn't they?" the wolf said, now looking at Kakashi. "Where is she?"

Groaning again, he replied dully, "Sitting out" and never mentioned the fact that the vampire half was in.

James looked at him and then said, "Please, explain. What's the lady like?"

He looked at him and said, "Brace yourself, Uncle James. You won't believe this."

After sitting around cursing, the vampire finally stood up and looked at the necklace. "And what... ahhhh shit!!" Before she could say anything else, a pair of chakra-like shackles appeared on her wrists and ankles. "He frickin' cut off my use of chakra!!! He's so dead!!"

In utter defeat, she dashed off towards Kakashi, hoping that he could be of use before she thoroughly lost her patience. So she began dashing all over the village in hopes that maybe she'll run into him soon.

After a couple minutes of explaining, both the wolf and the older Hatake were staring at Kakashi in dead silence and just blinking.

"So you met a wolf daemon with a side of vampire?" The wolf asked with surprise in her voice.

"You speak like she's a dish or something..." Kakashi said instead of replying to the question.

"This has to be an interesting one!" James said as he laughed at the end.

Kakashi, surprised that he isn't yelling at him turned to look at him. "What's so funny?" He asked with suspicion in his voice.

"Oh, from what I'm guessing," he started, "she has to be one interesting companion. Where is she exactly? You know you got to introduce her to the family sooner or later..."

"She's... erm..." He started.

But Puppy finished, "Coming towards the door. She must have tracked down your presence, Tou-chan."

They all turned to face the door as Kakashi got up off the couch and opened the door to see her, in chains no less, bolting around until the two laid eyes on each other from afar. The moment she laid her eyes on Kakashi, she ran over so fast that she nearly toppled him over.

"Damnit! You'll never believe what that brat did to me!! You better know how to get rid of these damn things, before I lose my temper and decide to arrange some unfortunate incidents!"

Her glare was so fierce, that even ice seemed lake-warm. Kakashi just looked at her, took in all the yelling, and remained in his place while also in shock from the collision. She continued to cuss, not bothering to let him speak as her anger grew.

"For all in seven hell's sake! You are so, so lucky that she cares for you so much... cause I'm not so easy to swoon over."

Kakashi understood that dealing with the vampire half might be hard to deal with, so he did the best he could to make her feel better and just let her rant while he listened. She paused to catch her breath when she noticed the others there staring at her.

"Oh... I didn't know family was here. Why didn't you tell me?!"

He gave her an annoyed look and replied, "I let you burn your frustration out. You didn't even let me talk."

Grinning with a little guilt, she turned and bowed ever so slightly. "Allow me to introduce myself, I am Akumi's vampire half. You may refer to me in either my demonic or human name. My demonic name is Kylianutaru and my human name is Alyenamisu."

She grinned that well-known vampire smile of hers and turned back to Kakashi as though nothing happened.


	18. Bred To Fight

**Bred to Fight**

"Vampire half, eh?" The wolf said and she tilted her head and then eyed Kakashi.

"I was getting around to that part, Kiken." Kakashi said, feeling slightly guilty that he was found out before the wolf form could return.

Puppy had tried not to squeak in fear when the vampire half was yelling at Kakashi, but now that the room was less violent, she sucked it up and tried to relax. James, just sitting there doing nothing except watching, decided to walk out of the kitchen and slightly approach the vampire half. He didn't look out of shape, but he wasn't muscled either. But in the slightly baggy clothes he was in and the dyed black hair with silver tips, he was actually unbelievably handsome. He returned to bow to her and finally spoke.

"Kylianutaru, a pleasure." He said politely. "I am Jemuzu Hatake, or James if your wish. Heir leader to the Hatake Clan, last living member of my clan to survive the Inu Akuma Zansatsu and, as the people who fear me say, I'm an essence of the Nine-Tailed Fox." He looked up at her and smirked. "Meaning I'm just as powerful as the fox himself."

"Well now, finally someone with manners." She said with sarcasm in her voice.

He grinned slightly. "Yes I do have manners," He said politely.

A slight grin crossed her face as she closed her eyes. "So, your the heir that's the essence of the Nine Tailed Beast? Now, I see the resemblance..." She paused, slightly excited.

"Very cute." James replied in a dull voice. He paused and brushed his hair with his fingertips, just ridding himself of an itch. "People think I'm an essence of the Kyuubi, but what it merely is... is simply just power. I'm bred to fight and I was chosen by fate to be next in line for the title of leader if it weren't for those bastards that killed off the clan..."

He paused and began to look back and forth between the vampire and Kakashi. Just blinking and looking again. It was kinda random at first, but Kakashi knew what that meant.

_Uh oh._ Kakashi thought. _He's noticing something._

Puppy, just sitting there, noticed the usual check-up dance (meaning James's looking back and forth) and asked, "You're not noticing anything are you Uncle James?"

James, finishing his evaluation, turned to lock his gaze at Puppy and said, "Well one; just trying to get used to stuff. Someone will have to explain as to how Kakashi's Sharingan went away."

Kakashi nodded and replied, "I'll tell you later on for some conversation."

James nodded and then locked his gaze on Kakashi and gave a smirk. "And two… Miss Akumi…" nodding to the vampire half, "her demonic aura is shifting oddly…"

_Oh shit,_ was all that went through Kakashi's mind. James finished, "...am I thinking..." he looked at the vampire in front of him and his smirk widened, "...what I think it is?"

_Fuck. He knows._ "Uh... heh-heh. About that." Kakashi scratched his cheek. "That... might... be... needing a little explaining..."

"What might need explaining?" the vampire asked.

James turned back to look at her and said, "Well, I have been a babysitter to kids in the clan, to Kakashi's father as a baby, and Kakashi when he was a baby. Down the generations I am a good babysitter. And I've been around family and other daemons long enough to recognize a woman's aura shift to compensate the start of a baby." He grinned slightly. "So I know about you guys, too."

"Oh. That." She watched James carefully and then looked at Kakashi, as she smirked. "...hee-hee..." She slowly turned around and headed for the door. "Sorry, but I must go and handle a few things. I'm getting rather hungry and must keep to Akumi's little rules..." She opened her wings as she stretched her arms in front of her. "Call me if ya need me, later Kakashi and others!" And with that, she took off into the air.

All the others did was stand there and watch her go. If it was one thing they quickly learned, is that Akumi's vampire side always had her own agenda and nothing, nor anyone, would ever interfere with it.

Kiken finally got up, so she wasn't holding her head high and on the arm of the couch anymore, and just joined in with the rest of the group as they got more and more baffled at the randomness of Akumi Hirogatsu and her many sides.

"So..." James said, breaking the silence, "She's a handful."

Kakashi gave James an annoyed look and replied dully, "No... really...?"

The elder Hatake smirked but did not turn to face Kakashi. "Maybe this is why women have never interested me."

He turned around, walked over to the couch, practically fell into it, and got cozy. Kakashi, not even watching was he was doing, walked over the couch, practically fell into it, and got cozy as well.

James stretched, yawned, turned to look at Kakashi, and asked, "So, how was the vacation to Konoha?"

* * *

After flying about ten or so minutes in the air, she dropped down to the ground and focused on the pendant around her neck.

"God damn thing, I need to get rid of it as soon as possible." She muttered. She stopped and looked around a bit as she entered the city. "Now, if I can just gather some strength, I might be able to free myself..."

She put away her wings and entered the inner part of the city. "I also got to make a note that I'd like to have a fight with that James Hatake. He doesn't look like he's powerful. 'Bred to fight' eh? Well I shall see. But only after I fully recovered my power."

After watching others walk by and clearing out her thoughts, she finally chose her first victim, a human girl never the less. "She looks tasty... heh..."

Within seconds, she stalked after her prey and cornered the girl. With ease, the vampire pinned her against the alley wall and quickly sank her fangs on the girl's neck. A few minutes later, the girl dropped to the ground unconscious as the vampire licked her lips.

"A bit sweet, but enough for a quick snack." She said, smirking.

She wiped her mouth of a small strain of blood and quickly her senses alerted her and she involuntarily watched the red moon appear. She had always known that whenever vampires fed, a blood red moon would be barely visible and disappear within an hour's time. She grinned with pleasure, for she knew tonight was a perfect night more than just a couple bites to eat. Shortly after, she claimed a few more victims, human and daemon alike, and she strolled back toward Kakashi's place.

"Now, let's rid myself of this..." She closed her eyes and focused till the pendant broke and the shackles disappeared. Her eyes glowed that deadly amber as she locked her gaze on the door, her mind focused on a certain man whom was staring at the fading red moon just outside the window. "Now, let the fun begin..."

* * *

It was late and the elder Hatake was leaning against the window next to the front door, looking out at the stars. For almost an hour now, he had been lost in thought about everything, and just staring at the blood red moon until it became normal again. He slowly finished the last of his coffee, but remained still and in thought.

"James-san..." the wolf replied. She knew her companion was in thought, but it was late and Kakashi, so glad to be home, had gone to bed half an hour ago. Puppy was heading there, but wanted to make sure everything was okay.

James broke his line of concentration and looked over at the large white wolf. Smiling, he said, "Kiken, you can be dismissed you know."

The wolf took that a little like he needed to be alone, and so she bowed her head respectfully and vanished in black smoke.

"It's a little late, Uncle James." Puppy said quietly. "Are you planning to go home?"

James got up off the windowsill and put his empty cup in the sink. "Yes, of course. Good night, Puppy."

Puppy nodded and headed upstairs. James slowly yawned and stretched, and then he turned around, shut the last light, and slipped out the door. He turned back toward the door absentmindedly to make sure he shut the door tight, but then remained there, still and silent in the pitch black night that had fallen over the city quite quickly.

"So..." James said. "You have fun on your night out?" He turned around and looked directly at the vampire. "Alyenamisu, was it?"

"You can just call me Alyena." She said with a smirk. Alyena gazed at the elder Hatake slowly. "And you could say so. Though there's a few other things I wished I could of handled. Is everyone asleep?"

James said nothing. So she looked over, away from his cold glare, towards the house. "The silence is almost comforting."

She briefly touched her neck and looked directly at him again. "And I bet your planning to head back to your home, or do you plan on taking care of a few 'unsettled' things?" A slight smirk crossed her face. "I bet you already guessed what some of my plans are. Though depending on your thoughts it's whether you're going to try and stop me."

At first, his head had been a little too wound up on that strong coffee he fucked up and drank anyway. But once he could feel the deviant attitude flow throughout her whole demonic aura, James snapped back into his senses. "Possibly." He said calmly. "However, I have no clue what you are up to on your little vengeance hunt. But you act sneaky." He paused. Just talking wasn't going to solve anything. But from what Kakashi had explained had happened during his trip home and how he explained the many sides this girl has locked up in there, James had a feeling that the vampire side was one to worry about. "You're planning to flee tonight, aren't you?"

Alyena grinned a cold, sneaky grin. He knew damn well from the grin that is was one plan she had in mind. He slowly stepped down from the steps and landed on the ground without making the slightest sound. He slowly took one step closer, again without a sound. He had begun to get into his fighting mood. If there's was one thing he had felt uneasy about, it was meeting the vampire side.

"Go ahead and do your revenge against whoever you please. But you are not going to runaway. I'll take another blow to the head by your kind if I have to." He said sharply.

Alyena knew what he was talking about. She probably guessed that Kakashi had told him about the link between their clan and the Dog Daemon Massacre. She knew the point he was making. James became more of an exciting opponent to her the more he got that cold glare to ice up every second they wasted talking.

"Oh dear, so you still hold a bit of a grudge against those in the great Dog Massacre? How amusing." She said, smirking deviously as her black chakra appeared. "Let me tell you, that was one of my favorite bloodbaths."

Saying such a thing only pissed James off even more. He held his tongue and he remained still as he tried not to thrash out at her. He didn't want to start a fight right outside the house.

"As you may have guessed, I did have a body before being contained in Akumi." Alyena continued. "I was the twin sister of Akumi's grandmother, one of the elders." She stepped closer, opening her wings. "When I said earlier, how I saw the resemblance, I knew who you were. You were that young man that was guarding the children of the clan. I didn't know you were the heir at that time, otherwise I would have done more than give you that scar on your right temple."

His eyes widened. No wonder he felt like she was familiar. She was one of those people that came in with one of those oversized dog daemons. Knowing what he knew now, those dogs were probably the wolf daemons in a dog-like form. The flashbacks came back at him; he remembered trying to protect all the young children in the clan with his brother's wife at the time. When they came in, he was the first to make a move, but the person he now knew was Alyena made the defensive approach. But once he saw the opportunity to strike her down, one of the children screamed. He had looked away long enough for her to take his kunai knife and give him a two inch-deep gash to his temple. He remembered blacking out and being left there with the final sound of their screams as she and the wolf finished them off. It was a blow that should have killed him then and there, but here he was, now eyeing the same person that nearly killed him all those years ago.

"I'm glad I still have the chance to kill you when I can," She started again. "Though, I'll wait til I finish some other things first… before I do..." Her fangs appeared as she leapt into the air. "Let me assure you, I grow tired of your mortal games. I will claim my body back and I will avenge our clan..." Within a flash, she disappeared but not before muttering. "By killing the last survivors of the Hatake clan."

Furious and irritated, James had begun to get edgy and had tons of motivation to take off after the vampire, but he held his temper and tried to relax. Trying to breathe and let it go was not working for him. James and Kakashi share a striking resemblance in attitude and personality; but when it comes to something that urks them, Kakashi holds the biggest grudges while James has the angrier temper. Now, something was urking him badly, and trying to relax wasn't solving anything. Eventually, James had taken a deep breath and loosened his tensed body. He had made a rational decision.

"I'm sorry..." He spoke to himself softly, slowly looking back at the house, "...Kakashi."

His temper quickened with revenge, his network pulsed with white chakra, and his senses were on full guard. With his body ready to fight, he dashed off after her demonic aura faster than when she had disappeared.

_Enough's enough. Time to end a long aching taste of vengeance._ Quickening his pace, he bent his body a little lower to the ground to quicken his speed even more as his distance between Alyena was not by much.

* * *

Alyena sensed James approaching at top speed and slowly began to stop. "I guess I hit the wrong nerve. This should be good." She turned and prepared herself, but as all of this was going on, Akumi was growing tired of her.

_God Damn it... why does this have to happen right when we get to Akuma?_ Alyena thought in annoyance.

Just as Alyena was about to start a Jutsu, her body froze. "Damn you girl, stop interfering with my plans!"

"_**Oh shove it! It's my body and I ain't going to let you cause trouble!"**_ Akumi shouted into Alyena's head. She slowly started to switch back and forth between her normal and vampire form.

"Don't think you can keep me quiet for long! I will seek my vengeance and you will help me with it!" And with that, Akumi returned to her normal self and fell to the ground, exhausted.

"I guess I'm still as pathetic as ever..." Akumi sighed as she slowly closed her eyes and fell asleep, letting her thoughts wander on their own.

* * *

James, not far from the scene, sped up once again and eventually met with the past out Akumi and he stood over her, collecting his thoughts.

_She's in a different form. Yet this is the same person._ He knelt down and inspected her wolf ears. _This must be Akumi… or at least her normal form._

The Hatake heir gritted his teeth. He wasn't expecting an interference, but was glad he got one. Otherwise, it would have been ugly for the other parties. He picked her up and dashed back to the house, but not as fast as when he had been chasing after Alyena. In about half an hour later, James had come back and slowly tried to open the door with the most vacant hand he had. He almost succeeded, but he lost grip of the door and it was back to normal: shut. James got irritated, so he began to set Akumi down and open it normally until the door opened. James looked up and Kakashi was standing at the door.

The elder Hatake picked up Akumi and said softly, "I was going after Alyena a little earlier. During the chase, Akumi stepped in."

Kakashi's eyes lit up and quickly he helped James get Akumi inside. They set her on the couch first until James asked "Leave her on the couch?"

"Where else am I going to put her?" Kakashi asked.

"Either a spare bedroom... or your room." James couldn't help but smile when Kakashi's face turned red. "Oh come on. I know you guys had sex. It looks as though that's the only thing you guys did in bed."

Silence was Kakashi's answer to that, and it lead to James answering is own question.

"Oh you have to be kidding me."


	19. Rest

**Rest**

The digital clock on the oven beeped when it hit eleven o' clock and James thought about another drink of his fucked up coffee. But he changed his mind when he figured the coffee was cold by now.

"She probably would like it if you moved her up to your room." James finally said after Kakashi sat on the arm of the couch. "You got to strengthen the relationship."

After giving him some time to collect everything in his mind, Kakashi agreed and James helped him get Akumi upstairs. After realizing she was being moved around, Akumi slowly opened her eyes. They had just set her on his bed when she began to groan.

"Kakashi...?" Her ears twitched, as she got used to her surroundings. "Gomen nasai." She said softly. Her whole body was aching all over, especially her back. "...Kuso..." She mumbled as she silently debated between going straight to bed or to stretch out quickly.

Hearing her voice, Kakashi looked down and smiled underneath his mask. He sat down on the edge of the bed so he could sit and talk to her, kind of waiting for her to come to. There was nothing he could say; nothing he felt like saying. But she was drowsy and sore; hearing him reply would mean a lot to her.

"Hello..." he replied gently to her. It was the only thing he could say for now.

She leaned on her elbows and smiled slightly, till she felt another slight surge of pain. "I guess... I should of told you more about her... tw-ouch!" She leaned onto her side. "I don't know really what to say... half because I'm so tired and I can't think straight."

Kakashi just sat there and listened. He missed hearing her voice. She slowly moved herself closer to Kakashi, wagging her tail a bit.

"But, I can tell you that this bed feels so good right now." She laughed and looked up at him. "And I'm glad to be sitting with you right now." She laid her head on the pillow and started to let herself relax. "And before I fall asleep, I demand that you stay here... til... I..." But before she could finish, she fell fast asleep, unable to fight off the drowsiness any longer.

"I guess she could use the sleep..." James said smiling.

Kakashi looked back at him and gave a friendly smirk.

"I'll leave. I'm tired anyway." And with that, James turned around and headed downstairs and out the door.

Kakashi got up and left the room, only to check and make sure that nothing was left out and needed to be cleaned up. He came into the kitchen and noticed the coffee that was cold. Only a sniff of it told Kakashi that James added a little too much coffee mix.

_I guess I should have told him my coffee maker doesn't require that much coffee._ Kakashi thought in embarrassment.

He cleaned it out and turned off the lights. Kakashi headed upstairs, checked on Puppy to see if she was okay, then went back to his room and got himself comfortable on the other side of the bed. He turned to look at Akumi, who must have tossed and turned in her sleep and was now facing him, and got closer to her. He was relaxed once he was close and so he wrapped his arms around her. She smiled in her sleep when she felt his presence.

_I'll stay with you for as long as you want._ He closed his eyes and slowly began to fall asleep. _It's so good to have her home._

* * *

The night took its course and the darkness was calm as everyone slept soundly. Akumi couldn't feel any happier until her dreams started to bother her. At first, she was remembering her siblings and the joyous times they had. But it suddenly flashed to when she saw him: Damien. He was down by the alter in his pitiful state. There was nothing more painful than the memory of him, and his sacrifice for her. Without realizing it, tears started to form as the dreamed turned into a confusing nightmare. Soon, she couldn't stand it anymore and woke up crying. She leaned into Kakashi, seeking his comfort, as she continued to silently morn her brother.

Hearing the sharp gasp of her waking up, then the scent of tears, Kakashi slowly woke up, slightly making a sigh and groan since he was getting a good night's sleep. He shut his left eye, but then remembered the Sharingan was gone until he learned to call upon it, and opened both eyes drowsily. The first thing that came to view was the window to the right of the room. He looked down a little to find Akumi cuddled up. He could hear some small whimpering; very faint sorrow whimpers.

_Must have been a bad dream..._ Instead of ignoring it, he adjusted himself so he was able to get her attention. Her ears twitched as she looked up at him, her eyes watery.

"Bad dream?" Kakashi asked quietly.

Just as quickly, she put her head down, slowly closing her eyes and answering with only a nod. She gently rested her hands against his chest and slowly drifted off to sleep again, but before she muttered, "…Go... mee… n… nas… sai…"

He remained still until he was sure she was sound asleep. Slowly he got himself comfortable again and closed his eyes. However, sleep did not return. His eyes shot open and they remained with an angry flair.

_Oh this cannot be happening. Damn._

He mostly blamed this on himself. About 90% of this dumb reason was his fault. Half of the time, if something does wake him, he can go back to sleep. Other times, due to all those night assignments during his days as an ANBU Black Op, he was awake _all_ night and forget trying to go back to sleep. And this was one of those nights.

He blamed the other 10% on Akumi's bad dream.

* * *

Morning came slowly. But when it did, Kakashi was still awake and in a very tired state. He thought about sleeping, but he just didn't have the ability to sleep. There was no point now. But he heard Puppy run downstairs and for a while he listened to her make a quick snack and then feeling her demonic aura as she opened the door and rushed out. After a few minutes, he sneaked out of bed and went downstairs slowly. He figured that he could surprise Akumi with morning coffee.

He went downstairs and got the coffee started. He knew it would be awhile before it was ready, so he passed the time by cleaning up here and here; wipe the crumbs and dirt off the table, do what little dishes were left, and raid the fridge for something to snack on until lunch since he was never someone who ate breakfast in the morning. After doing all that in a short time, he crossed over from the kitchen to the living room to sit down and possibly snooze. When he looked down, he noticed the bag that Akumi brought with her. Feeling the need to move, he figured he'd bring it upstairs. So Kakashi grabbed the bag and headed upstairs, back to his room. However, the bag slipped and out dropped one of her books. So he quickly stopped to pick it up. Instead of putting it back, he inspected the book a bit.

_I haven't read a book in a while. I wonder if she's got any good books._ He set the bag back down on the couch and wandered back, crossing into the kitchen and sitting down at the table, sliding the chair closer to the table so he could just set the book down and read.

So far, it was an interesting book. Didn't seem like a fiction book, so he started getting into it a little more. However, from the lack of sleep, Kakashi somehow became blank and was beginning to crash.

* * *

After finally getting a good night's sleep, Akumi could feel the rays of sunlight seep through the window. She opened her eyes, drowsily, while looking for Kakashi, only to find he wasn't there.

"Huh? Where did he..." Before she could finish, she thought she smelt something burning. "He wouldn't..." She got up quickly, as she got dressed into her clothes and headed downstairs. On her way down, the smell got stronger as she realized what was happening. "He did."

* * *

All of a sudden, an odd scent of smoke came up. Normally his senses become dull when he's tired, so Kakashi brushed it aside. Until Akumi came flying downstairs, turned off the overloaded coffee heater, and began to shout.

"You baka!" Akumi screamed, slightly glaring. "Whenever your cooking something, don't leave it unattended... even if it's coffee!"

He literally jumped right out of the chair and was about to confront whatever happened, but his balance and his posture from being close to the table when he sat, and jumping up without pushing the chair back, caused him to get hurt and crash onto the floor face first. He complained, but not aloud. He was too tired to fight about anything. Instead, he looked up at the outraged Akumi, who was just staring.

"Oh. I'm... sorry Hun..." He said weakly and tiredly.

For a while, she just stared. But eventually, she started giggling. "Pfft... Haa ha!! Oh my god, I'm sorry…but..." She tried to keep it in but she couldn't contain her laughter. "Oh, that was too funny! You remind me of Ryushi, when he was little..." She slowly settled down and smiled. "He was such a klutz when he was little, but I still loved him."

Kakashi got a little happy to know that his clumsiness could lift a bad situation. "So I guess that means you still love me too?"

She walked over to him to help him up. "I'm guessing you didn't get any sleep, due to your delayed reaction… so as your caretaker, I demand that you don't leave this house until your better!" She said it almost half-serious and half-tenderly.

The thought of staying home felt nice, but he knew that sleeping the day away was not an option… not for a Yajukage that is. He leaned over towards her so he was close enough to kiss... if his mask wasn't there, he'd probably give her one. However, he's too tired to do much of anything but talk and drag himself around.

"If only staying home and resting was an option. Maybe I'll go to bed early tonight." He said softly. "I gotta do some reports since Tsunade thought I was in Konoha for a report, not a vacation. Naruto, as well as myself, had to attempt to convince her otherwise." Figuring that his answer was not what Akumi had in mind, he gave a glow to his eyes as he smirked under the mask. "Although today will be a good day for me to introduce you to some people." He paused. Then he added, with a sneaky tone that seems like Akumi's sneaky tone, "You might see Cassie too. I know you're just curious to see why I fussed over her awhile back."

That devilish smirk of hers appeared when he mentioned the name of Cassie. "Heh-heh..." She rested her hands on her hips as she looked to the side, her eyes turning a bit amber. "Cassie, eh? I can't wait to torment that woman..." She gave a small, evil laugh as she looked from Kakashi to the door. Now was the time when both sides of her agreed on one thing, and that being Cassie.

He grinned and made a soft laugh. "Puppy left really early. So we don't need to wait for her." He slowly wobbled and eventually he leaned back on the table. "I'm sure Ryoku might let me sleep against the wall or something; not quite sure about Cassie though." He said aloud in a dull tone. "Well, I guess whatever happens... happens."

She paused in thought. _Hey, isn't that what I always say...?_

He slowly started to go upstairs to get dressed and ready until he stopped short. "Hey, Akumi?" He turned to look back at her. "Can you try and promise me that I'm going to see _you _and not your vampire half? I miss seeing you. I'm kinda done with trouble for a while."

She snapped back to reality when he mentioned her vampire half. "Oh, no worries. She ain't appearing for quite awhile." She said simply.

She played with a few strands of her hair while getting sidetracked again. Once Kakashi tried to go back upstairs, she quickly said, "And...who is Ryoku..? That name sounds familiar."

"Ryoku's familiar to everyone. For one; she's the assistant to all the Yajukages." He stopped and sat himself of a step, just because he was still tired. "She's old though, just reaching 190." He stopped. "I think she is 190 already." He snapped out of it and remained silent for a second. "Since you should know everything, I should tell you a bit about her." He looked at her a little serious. "But try not to mention it a little sternly. She doesn't really care to have this thrown in her face... Ryoku might sound familiar to you because she's also a Jinchuuriki; the host of the secondary five-tailed beast, the dog Itsutsubi. She is respected and not shunned, like Naruto used to be with the Kyuubi, but she isn't considered a hero either. She's just there. Nothing special. People don't know that she's a Jinchuuriki because she contains a secondary Bijuu, but she keeps it under low profile."

After talking, Kakashi slowly tried to fall asleep, but he got himself together and slowly rose to his feet. _I hope the day won't be long... if it is, I'm going to get sick from the stress and the lack of sleep._ He thought dreadfully.

After giving the explanation some thought, Akumi finally spoke up. "...I see... I… know who you're talking about. I have met her before, just didn't know her name. But that's not what I meant." She tried to dig deeper into her thoughts, but still couldn't figure out the relation. "I heard that name when I was younger... but... the Ryoku that I knew wasn't female... but male." She shook her head in frustration and snapped back to reality. "You know… just never mind. I think I'm spacey from wasting all that energy." She decided to put these thoughts aside for now, but knew later she would have to know the difference and their importance.

* * *

Meanwhile, outside the Hidden Daemon's gates, a strong gust blew bringing the presence of someone quite familiar. Her outline, barely visible against the rising sun, had cast a long shadow as she entered the village.

* * *

Kakashi had nodded and understood Akumi's situation, then wearily started to drag himself upstairs until a knock on the door came. A very familiar aura; Kakashi knew pretty quick who's aura it was. "You can't be serious?" Kakashi shouted and got himself upward.

"What do mean I can't be serious?" Replied the voice outside. It was James. "Don't tell me you just got up or something?"

"Get in here." Kakashi growled, just being a smart ass.

James stuck his head in through the door and immediately his eyes shot open and a baffled look came upon his face as he blinked slow and hard. "Good lord, is that the smell of burnt coffee?" James asked as he covered his nose.

Kakashi groaned in annoyance. He knew he wasn't going to hear the end of burning the coffee from James or Akumi for today.

Akumi sighed, "Oh boy, not another one..." Not having much patience, due to her recent mood swings, she wasn't ready to deal with company, much less James. "Excuse me, I need some air."

She walked past them, out the door and started to walk around to catch her breath. After she left, James lingered on her upsetting attitude. And once Kakashi had gone upstairs to get ready for the day, the elder Hatake had grown quite the sour and cold face as he also lingered on thoughts. His expression remained that way when Kakashi returned downstairs, but James had moved to the kitchen and already stole a cup of coffee.

Bewildered by the look on his face, Kakashi asked, "Are we going to kill someone?"

Snapping out of it, James asked, "No. Why?"

"Because you got quite the look on your face."

James slowly got that sullen look as he choose his words wisely. "Akumi gives me chills."

Now Kakashi was on alert. Whenever James had a funny feeling about someone, it wasn't good. "Why is that? It's not because of her vampire half is it?" Once James remained silent, Kakashi asked again, "It is because of the vampire half… isn't it?"

James looked at Kakashi from the corner of his eye and said, "I have met her vampire half before. Just in a different form." And he briefly touched the right side of his temple and blinked for a bit. "You can say if I'm too jumpy. But until I have someone's word that Akumi won't cause trouble with that vampire side, I'm going to be leery."

Kakashi wasn't quite sure himself about Akumi's vampire half. However, he knew that Akumi herself wouldn't be a problem. Kakashi slowly got a glass from the cabinet and worked on a small cup. James, having his thoughts taking over, saw a dish against the counter wall that gave off a reflection and got close to it. He pulled his shaggy hair back and revealed to the reflection his nasty scar across his temple, just to see how well it was healing after almost 80 years. When Kakashi noticed James inspecting something, he began to turn his gaze to the dish, but James had let his hair fall back over the scar so that Kakashi couldn't see a thing.

* * *

Akumi was a little far from the house when she felt uneasy again. "I hate this... damn body..." She scowled at herself. Just about half a mile away from the house, she picked up a familiar smell. At first, her body got into a defensive position but then she relaxed as she walked a bit further. Then, out of nowhere, a female red haired wolf daemon with the same colored fur as her hair, but dark red tips on the ears and tail, embraced her in surprise.

"Oh, my dear niece!! I've so missed you, cutie pie!" The woman exclaimed.

Unable to move from total shock, she went speechless. After regaining herself, Akumi slowly pushed the woman away and gave her a quizzical expression. "And you are?" She asked sharply.

The woman paused, slowly smiling. "Don't you remember? I'm your Auntie Kaylian, from the Wolf side of the family."

Akumi slowly scanned the woman from head to toe and looked to the side. "But... there shouldn't of been any survivors." As she got lost, with the sudden confusion, Kaylian decided to take things into her own hands.

"First, you should be thankful that you have family still alive to help you with your upcoming birth. And second of all… I'll explain at the house." That's when she grabbed Akumi's hand and forcefully dragged her back to the house.

"Wait!!" That was the only reply Akumi could manage as they approached the house.

* * *

James finished his coffee quick and waited for Kakashi. Tired and in need of a wake up call, Kakashi drank the hot cup of coffee all in one gulp and definitely woke up from the feel of a burning mouth.

"Nice way to wake yourself up." James said sarcastically as he gave a dull smirk. "I'll head off first. Won't be hard to catch me."

"What does that mean?" Kakashi choked as he found his voice through the pain.

"Well for one, you're mouth is on fire. Get a drink of soda and jog up after me. I'm just going to walk and get a ten second head start to the academy."

James put his coffee cup in the sink and headed to the door. He opened it and quickly got chills. He glanced over to see Akumi getting dragged by some other red haired wolf.

"Oh lord." He mumbled, since he could see the annoyance written all over Akumi's face. One thing was clear; Akumi _was_ quite annoyed by this woman that called herself her 'aunt'.

When they approached the door Kaylian looked up at James, whom was leaning against the door with his right hand resting gingerly on his hip and the other just hanging at his side, and then back to Akumi.

"Wow, they're sheer handsome!" Kaylian said, as she looked James up and down, then looking inside to a surprised Kakashi.

_Not like I heard that compliment before._ James thought. He's known that his own body was a girl magnet, but James himself was never interested in women the way they were to him.

After being dragged for ten minutes, Akumi finally was let go. "Kakashi..." She gave him a 'help me' look, as she walked over to him.

Kakashi, after taking James's advice on the cold soda to cool his mouth, saw Akumi's pleading face and gave her a warm look as if to say 'I'll protect you' when she got close. Akumi gently tugged on Kakashi's arm as she looked from James to Kaylian and back.

James was just eyeing Kaylian and getting a little nervous about her since she looked familiar. "Erm... who are you exactly?" He finally asked.

"Don't get full of yourself, young elder." Kaylian said with her eyes sharp and focused on all three of them. "I am Kaylian Yaminito, I am one of the few outcasts from the main Hirogatsu family."


	20. The Hatake and Hirogatsu Clans

**The Hatake and The Hirogatsu Clans**

Being polite, Kakashi bowed his head slightly to her after she introduced herself. James did the same.

Slowly, Kaylian closed her eyes and then redirected her attention to the house. "Also, I regret Mitchell will be unable to attend..."

Akumi looked at her. "Wait, you don't mean my Jutsu teacher, Myu-sensei? What happened to him? Tell me."

She opened her eyes, the color dulled from sadness. "You didn't know? He lost his life in the Great Dog Massacre, by your father's hands..."

Kakashi paid full attention to the conversation for many reasons. One reason was to learn more about Akumi's family. The other was to learn more of just how much the Hirogatsu clan was connected to what happened to his clan.

James however was getting sick from the nostalgia. He kept his nerve and just remained silent, just letting his stomach tighten every now and then without a word. Without even thinking, James reached up and pulled his side bangs back to get and itch at his hairline. However, he absentmindedly revealed his nasty scar to all three of them.

"Uncle James, that's quite the scar." Kakashi said with a hurt look as he studied the scar. "Where did you get that?"

James, ashamed that he was dumb enough to reveal it, removed his hand and let the hair fall back over it. He said nothing to the question, but instead asked, "Do you wish to come in?" and eyed Kaylian for any kind of reply.

"No, actually I think I'll take my leave." She said with a hostile tone, looking towards Akumi briefly before turning. "After thinking for a bit, maybe it's best that I don't impose myself so early." Within seconds she started to walk away. "Besides, it looks like someone else is opposed to having 'our like' around."

Kaylian realized that it wasn't the right time to visit Akumi and she kept feeling this odd aura coming from James, due to the mentioning of the Dog Daemon Massacre. So, she silently remarked to Akumi that "it seemed that there are still people who hate us because of the war our clan started" and she ended it with that as she took off running. Akumi stayed silent for a few seconds as she looked from Kakashi to James and then the village.

"Excuse me." She let go of Kakashi and started walking briskly to the village, but not before glancing back at James. She was quite mad at him for this, but yet she understood how he felt.

Kakashi walked to the door and watched the girls leave. He wanted to chase after Akumi to see what was wrong, but he saw her angry glance at James. He was going to get upset with his great uncle as well.

"What was all that about?" He barked.

James, whom was getting sick over getting sick from the haunting memories, just got sullen and said, "I'm sorry. My fault."

Kakashi waited for him to say why, but when James turned to look at him with hurt eyes, he stated, "You have seemed to cause a lot of trouble already."

James showed no change in his emotion. "I didn't mean to make them think I hate them." He said. "It's just the thought of the whole thing itself has come back to haunt me ever since you told me about Akumi's family connection to the Massacre. I guess I got too impulsive. I'm sorry." He glanced away and walked out the door.

"Where are you going?" Kakashi asked without firmness in his voice.

"The hell do I know." James replied. "Might wander off for a bit. Let your girl and her aunt blow off the steam I gave them. It's best if I don't mettle in your affairs for now. And I guess it's best that I should start severing some nasty bonds."

Before Kakashi could open his mouth to hold him for a bit, James built up speed and dashed off and away from the house.

_Oh lord. The Hatake and the Hirogatsu Clans are going to be one. And yet they're fighting each other rather than welcoming._ Kakashi turned to look back at the house. After some debating, he came to a hard, blant decision. _Screw Cassie; she can come drag my ass out of here if she wants. But I'm stressed._

And with that, Kakashi shut the door, kicked off his shoes, climbed upstairs, removed his vest, and crawled into bed to rest. Kakashi had fallen into a deep sleep and during the sleep a fever began to burn. Before he even slept, he knew that the lack of sleep, the stress from the weekend, and the disaster the two families got themselves into had skyrocketed his patience through the roof. Now he was glad to sleep, glad to burn a fever and have time to rest. Kakashi would figure that even though he was sick, it still wouldn't hurt to go out and do some introducing. But in the meantime, Kakashi welcomed the break time.

* * *

Before either of them had walked more than five miles away, a sudden feeling told them to stop. Kaylian rested in the shades of the trees as she calmed down and decided how she could better acquaint herself with the Hatake's.

"Her spouse will be no trouble, it's the young elder who holds the deep grudge." Kaylian said to herself.

As she thought of a plan, Akumi was elsewhere, near the village, trying to calm down. "Damnit, I got to stay calm… but these damn mood swings... auugghhh!!" She impulsively punched the nearest object out of frustration, which happened to be the village wall and then sighed. "This is going to be difficult..." She looked back in the direction of the house. "I need to head back and maybe, try and get along with James."

She slowly walked back, as her thoughts drifted. In the meantime, Kaylian had made up her mind to head back as well.

"I think I need to start over..."

Before long, both had ended up at the house but they didn't bother with words as they headed to different spots. Akumi went in search for Kakashi as Kaylian rested on the couch, pulling out one of the books on Herbology she brought with her and started reading. Kaylian had always had a thing for Herbology; studied it until she was 23 until her training got serious and was under her sister's watch.

Before Akumi could make it up the stairs, exhaustion took over and she fainted. A slight thud could be heard as she hit the first few steps and started to tumble down. Kaylian looked up, hearing the noise from the stairs and rushed over.

"Akumi?" She spotted Akumi on the ground, her breathing slow as she lay there. "Oh god, she sure picks a fine time to fall asleep."

She gently picked up Akumi and laid her on the couch. Then she quickly gathered a few pillows and got her comfortable as she stood there, trying to figure what to do next.

"I need some herbs, but I wasn't able to bring any with me… only my books. I'll have to search the village." She grabbed her bag with her books and headed out to the village, deciding to search near the gates first. "I think I need some moly, jasmine, and maybe some clover." She walked slowly, in her search as she took out one of her books and started reading, looking for the proper ingredients.

* * *

While a little farther in the village, James slowed and stopped at the end of the city and peered into a window of an old friend's house. He couldn't sense anyone at first, so James turned and began to leave. Then a voice piped up and said, "Ah James!" and the elder Hatake leaped and spun around to come face-to-face with a wolf daemon that appeared teenage looking with navy hair, white wolf features, and in a fancy black jacket with a white shirt underneath and baggy old blue jeans. Lively blue eyes blinked and inspected James as he waited for a response, his snow-white wolf tail slightly wagging.

"Oh good lord." James sighed. The wolf cracked a smirk. James, still edgy from the encounter, asked, "Hey do you have an herb that deals with stress?"

The wolf blinked and asked, "What? Kiken getting to become too much for you?"

"No. Kakashi and Puppy came back from the village today." The wolf's smile faded and he began to listen intently. James continued, "Kakashi brought himself a girl whom happens to be a Hirogatsu."

"And?" The wolf said puzzled.

James pointed to the door and said, "My dear friend, let me explain what just happened to me."

"Oh… do you mean you found out about the Hirogatsu clan being responsible for killing your clan?"

James went into stun mode. "Are you saying you knew?!"

The wolf blinked slowly. "I know a lot more than you think." James understood what he meant; this daemon was the oldest in the village after all. The wolf paused a bit. "Let me give you a grief remedy."

"Grief?"

"Yes, grief. You're still grieving about your clan, that's why you don't feel right about Kakashi's new girl."

James didn't want to press into it, so he just nodded. "Yeah. Thanks a lot, Koji-san."

James followed the wolf into his house and once they were inside, Koji was rambling through some glasses containing plant leaves in his cabinets while James sat on the couch and let what the wolf said set into his head.

_Can I really still be grieving?_ James thought with some surprise in his thoughts.

"God I got enough Clover and Jasmine to choke a large animal." Koji grumbled aloud.

That broke his thoughts and so James covered his mouth to keep quiet. He got up off the couch and tried helping him search. "What am I supposed to be looking for?" He asked. Koji stopped and turned around in confusion. "Just to make things quicker for you." James insisted.

It took a few slow seconds for Koji to figure out that James actually wanted the herb instead of just groaning about it. "Look for something labeled 'Black Cohosh'." Koji said slowly. "Then find Red Clover. I have always found that a good combination when dealing with grief. Both herbs should be in one of those cabinets. Although I might have some Red Clover in here..." And he continued to search.

James shrugged and looked for those two herbs. It took a minute or two until James said, "All I keep seeing on this top shelf here is... Galanthus... nivalis?"

Koji stopped but did not turn. "Yeah?"

"What kind of herb is that?"

Koji pondered on the question. "It's also called Moly. Ever heard of Moly?"

James had heard of Moly before. "Oh, so is this funky word its more scientific form?"

"Yep." Koji continued to look again. "I have no clue why I labeled the herb in its latin form… I usually do that with antidotes." As he kept searching, he kept complaining aloud, "Clover, Jasmine. Clover, Jasmine. Clover... oh, hey I found some _Red_ Clover!"

James had no luck with the Black Cohosh. Eventually, Koji found three bottles hiding in the back behind all the Moly in the top shelf. "I knew I had a few left." Koji said with a satisfied smile. "I would have more, but the season to collect it is over."

* * *

Kaylian had wandered from the gates and further down into the village. She was getting slightly farther and into the shopping area of the city when she stopped after she thought she heard someone in the distance mention clover. "Did I just imagine..." She walked on further till she came to a place where she heard two people in conversation. She paused briefly at the door, not sure whether to knock or not.

_I swear I just heard one of them mention the ingredients I need._ After gathering her courage, she knocked gently on the door. "Excuse me, is there an herbalist here? Do you know where I can find Jasminum polyanthum, Galanthus nivalis, and Trifolium repens?"

Koji stopped and his ears perked up. "Oh good, someone can help me clean out my cabinet." He said softly. James tried not to laugh at that and Koji said a little loud, "Yeah I'm an herbalist. Hold on just a sec..." Then without thinking he shook the two vials of plants in front of James and said clear enough that Kaylian could hear him through the door, "You. Take 'em."

"What am I supposed to do with them? Stick them in a salad?" James sarcastically barked, a little louder than Koji.

"No you idiot. Go grab a pan underneath my bar countertop and boil water. Then put these in it."

James grabbed the vials and as Koji began head towards the door the Hatake said, "Wait you want me to drink it as a tea?!"

"Duh!" Koji said rolling his eyes. "I don't have the time these days to make it in an elixir. I figured you'd be the few that wouldn't care."

James stared at the vials and just grumbled and went to work on boiling the water. Koji opened the door and his snow-white wolf ears perked up and twitched. Koji smiled politely at Kaylian and asked, "I take it that you need some herbs, miss?"

"Yes, I need to make some tea for my niece, Akumi. Her body is thoroughly exhausted and she needs her strength." She smiled as she took a quick glance at Koji. "If you don't mind me asking, but you're an Artic wolf, correct? I'm from the Dire wolf clan, though my father was Gray wolf, so I'm a bit of a mixed breed. I can tell that you're an Artic Wolf… you know, cause most of us wolves have a way for sensing."

Koji's left ear pulled back and then both ears twitched for a few seconds until they relaxed. "Dire wolf clan? I think I've heard of that one before." He tilted his head and studied her a bit. "Not to sound rude, but you do seem like a mix. But you do look more Dire."

Kaylian responded with a smile and wasn't offended at all. He opened the door a little wider so he could lean on the door for a minute. Then he remembered why she was standing in front of his door in the first place. "Oh... sorry... don't mind me. Come in, I've got enough of everything that you need. I was actually complaining about how many I have. How many do you need? Some are already ground up and some others I have the plants and leaves and roots just dried." He stepped out of the way to let her in.

James had slowly turned to look at the door since the woman's voice sounded familiar. Then once Koji stepped out of the way for her, he saw that it was Kaylian. And before she could reply, she looked in and spotted James.

_Oh great, maybe I should just stay outside._ Kaylian thought.

Still feeling bad about driving her and Akumi away, James slowly lowered his head and raised his shoulders and still continued to wait for the water to boil. He knew she saw him and she'd know who he was. He was the only one she knew that had black with silver tipped hair and a navy hoodie with the Hatake Clan's insignia on it.

Kaylian looked from Koji, to the area outside. "Not to be rude, but I rather wait outside. And in regards to what I need, it would be best if the herbs are fresh but I don't mind if they're dried." She looked down at her hands, a bit tense, hoping she could get back quickly. She never liked walking into a stranger's home unless family was there anyway.

Koji tilted his head slightly and his blue eyes softened to a more warm and welcoming expression. "Really, are you sure? I guess if that's what you want. I didn't think I bite..." He paused and then remembered what she wanted from the herbs. "Fresh... hmm... I do have fresh Jasmine... but I'm sorry I don't have any fresh Clover and Moly. The closest to fresh I have for those is about a week... and it's not dried. Is that okay?"

James got done with the water and he put it in an empty water bottle he found in a big pocket on his pant leg. Then he grounded up the dried leaves fairly quickly and dumped them into the hot bottle, shook it up, and put it back in his pocket. Koji quickly walked inside as James began to head towards the door. The wolf had quite the joyful smile on his face until he saw James's upset look.

Koji's smile faded and he asked, "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Nothing... really. What's up with you?"

Koji got his smile back and he got closer to James and whispered, "She's quite lovely. Makes me guilty that she's outside and doesn't want to come in."

James cracked a smirk and said very loudly and teasingly, "Oh... Koji has finally stopped mourning hasn't he?"

Koji blushed slightly and said, "Get your ass out of here."

_Ok, that was odd…_ Kaylian thought as she looked from Koji to James. "Um, maybe I might stay for a few minutes."

James's smirk widened and walked out the door. When got closer to Kaylian, his smirk slowly faded to just a slight smile and he said, in a kind, almost sorry tone, "Hello..." And with that James shifted himself to let Kaylian know that he was respecting her space and just headed in a different direction.


	21. Koji

**Koji**

Kaylian let James give her the space as she slowly walked inside and she stopped to look around only once. "Do you collect all these herbs by yourself?" She asked, her light, rosy eyes sparkled with interest.

Koji smiled and nodded. "Yeah I do. I know every herb out there and I began to figure out when each herb grows in these new locations. People keep thinking I disappeared for a while since I spent my spring and summer out getting some herbs." He looked at Kaylian and smiled. "So you take interest into herbs? With me it just came naturally and I grew into it. A gift passed down from..." he paused and blinked. "Ah it doesn't matter unless you want to know who I am." And ended it with a chuckle.

He walked back to the same cabinet he was searching in earlier and, with ease this time, reached in and pulled out a vial full of some fresh healthy looking Jasmine and another vial full of some nice and decent clover. Then he smoothly darted over to the other side of the room and picked out the best-looking Moly he found. He stopped for a minute and then pulled out a vial from the back and checked it really quick. He set that on his bar counter top just below the trash. It looked pretty old, dry and dull; probably why Koji was thinking about emptying out the vial.

He set the three vials on the island countertop that was towards the door and then asked out of politeness, "Would you care for something to drink?"

"No, I'm good besides I don't think you'd carry anything I prefer. You see, I've been on a delicate balance of foods since the..." She paused. "Never mind, please go on to what you were going to say. I'm actually a bit curious about who you are… since the only people I ever knew about were those in my clan." Her eyes drifted to the rather odd and old vial near the back. "And may I ask, what is in that vial?"

"The vial? Oh... old, old Moly... I checked the date on the label..." he cracked a guilty smirk. "I'm such a pack rat... that Moly's about 50 years old. It looked weird to me for a while but I normally thought that it was just me."

He still remembered what she said about him continuing on and his ears twitched; a sign of deep thinking. He had to choose his words wisely. "Oh when I was a kid I ended up falling into a whole new life and I later found out that I'm a reincarnation of someone, to put it simply. As a 12 year old, I began to laugh when someone told me I am a reincarnation of an ancient daemon because I didn't believe it. I lived the most of my life looking like a human, and I thought daemons and demons were but myths. But I got more pieces of the puzzle together, and afterwards it wasn't so funny to me anymore. And when I turned 13, my features transformed and I grew a pair of wolf ears and a tail. Talk about scaring the daylights out of me. I got stuck with a lot of weight on my shoulders and as a teen since I wasn't aware of my abilities... And I couldn't control this..." Then he stopped to snap his fingers.

When he snapped, black sparks exploded and disappeared. And just as quickly as he snapped, he opened his palm to show indigo colored flames that, just by looking at them, could tell that the little flame in his hand can pack a punch. "This was as far as I could use it back then. Anymore and I would have gone out of control from the power. Took me a while till I could use more than this little thing..." With that he clenched his hand into a fist and the flame disappeared as well.

"The only thing that bothered me about having this was because I was born a youkai into a human family. It was because of my reincarnater. I found a way as a baby to turn into a human form and I was stuck that way until I found out who I was. It sucked, because when I got older I had to be human to find a mate." He stopped for a second before saying to himself. "Oh yeah how klutzy of me. I haven't told you who I'm reincarnated from..." he looked up and then tilted his head to the side and asked, "One... do you know Tya?"

"Tya... actually I never heard of the name before." Her ears twitched slightly. "Within our clan, only the eldest were allowed to know the legends of the outside world. I never really liked the rule myself, but I couldn't complain."

Koji tilted his head to the other side and one ear went forward, which was his calmer way of being surprised. _Never heard of Tya before? Doesn't know about one of the most powerful daemons of the feudal era? Wow... good then maybe I should keep it that way._ Anybody that didn't know Tya got his attention. _Finally someone that can treat me like… me._

She opened the book she was looking at earlier and flipped through it a bit. "And if I remember correctly, aged Moly and a few other herbs can be used in some miscellaneous concoctions. I don't remember off hand what they are but I think maybe you shouldn't toss out that Moly quite yet." She closed her eyes slowly and tapped her chin, thoughtfully. "If... she was still here, she would of known what to do."

The suggestion actually got him thinking again about various uses for it. The uses finally came back to him after dusting off an old memory. To a slow surprise, Koji was beginning to like this girl. "It's really nice to hear another herbalist's opinion. You got me thinking about old stuff I should have known..."

His eyes grew soft and pretty soon his fondness for her company was getting too obvious. Eventually his ears twitched and he looked over to notice that some things needed tiding up, so he began to walk over to the kitchen-like area to do his work. He was walking normally, but since he was quite enjoying her stay, his walk was quite graceful and smooth to watch; his tail moving slightly from side to side with every step he took and he didn't seem like he stumbled like he did earlier. He slightly shook his shaggy, navy blue hair out of his eyes and his ears pulled back a little.

Kaylian smiled as she watched him a bit_. It's refreshing to see someone in such a good mood._ She thought.

"The vials are on the counter." He said as he nodded his head over towards them. "When you're ready you can take them." He quickly picked up the mess since it was just the pan James used to boil the water in and the lunch plate he set next to the sink. "Or if you have any questions, go right ahead. I'd be happy to help." Then he turned to look at her with a warm smile.

She paused and a slight playful grin appeared on her face. "Actually, if you don't mind, I'd liked to stay a little longer. And maybe..." She glanced over at him. "I might treat you to something."

His smile warmed up a little more. "Feeling more comfortable? You did seem a bit nervous when you showed up at the door."

She smiled to herself, as she did start to feel more at ease. "But first, you must answer a question of mine." Her body relaxed as her skin started to have a healthy glow to it. "When the snow melts, what does it become?"

Quickly her question caught him off guard. At first he was thinking blankly and was going to say "Spring" cause the word snow instantly reminded him of winter. But after it sunk into his head, he stopped himself short from answering. _She probably wants something that I probably won't think of until I get it wrong. Snow melts into water. Is water what she was looking for or does she want something a little different?_

Oh boy, were the gears clicking. Kaylian could see it as he blinked a lot, stared off a bit, and his ears twitched as often as he blinked. _Ah hell if I get it wrong..._

"Snow melts to spring." Koji said dully, officially giving up on trying to impress her. He then blinked for a second then turned away and flipped a switch that started the small dishwasher. _It had to be a riddle. I am not feeling so clever right now._ He looked back with a guilty smile and asked with a slight giggle to his tone, "Not an answer you were expecting, right?"

"You are right." She laughed a bit to herself, enjoying the fun. "Yep, usually most people guess water but the more clever ones..." She glanced at Koji. "Understand."

His ears twitched and he cocked his head slightly to the right, not replying to her response to his answer. _So it was a riddle. Guess I am feeling clever._

She went over and opened her bag, searching for something. She pulled out an amber pendent and held it up for him to see. "This is rare Tibet ice amber, it was a gift from my sister. Can you guess where she found it?"

He stared at the amber and said blankly, "Uh... Tibet?" Then he slowly smirked. "You like to play with people don't you?" He asked with a sarcastic tone as he rested his arms on the island countertop.

She got a sly look in her eyes. "Blame my mother for that habit."

"Sure, why not." He simply replied.

She gently touched the pendent as her eyes meet his. "And actually, you're correct. Tibet is a small village located between the country of Sand and Leaf."

"Tibet used to be the name a country a long time ago. Surprising that it's the name of a village now." He slowly got his face closer to the pendant, body slowly relaxing as his arms on the countertop held his weight, his eyes slowly moving from the amber to her eyes, his own river blue eyes getting a mysterious glow to them. Her ears slightly lowered, as her gaze got foggy. She got lost into the look he gave her.

_Such beautiful eyes he has._ She thought with her tone in a trance.

* * *

Meanwhile, not too far away, two strangers approached the village gates, one male and one female. The boy was a bit short in height and he had short, spikey dark blue hair and light green eyes. The girl was a few inches shorter, while she had ice-colored blue hair that was thick and wavy. She too had light green eyes.

"I don't know why you dragged me out here, this better be promising." The male said, looking over at his companion.

"Kaine..." She sighed and then remained silent.

"What? You have a problem with me having a little fun, Namaiya?" He snickered with a smile. She gave him a stern look and it was his turn to sigh. "Geez, it won't be my fault if she ends up spazzing."

She said nothing to his comment. Kaine just sighed and they continued to walk quietly as they headed farther down the village, searching for Kaylian.

* * *

Kaylian felt her heart skip a beat as she continued to look into his eyes. He slowly noticed her gaze getting foggy and slowly tilted his head. He was about to make a guilty smile about it when she started to act strange and her face turned a little red. He gathered his weight out of his leaning position and stood up with some attitude... like a father would when his child was hurt.

"Are you okay, miss?" He asked. It occurred to him that they never introduced each other properly and he was just stuck with saying, "Miss".

"I… I..." Her face got redder as she closed her eyes and almost fell back, barely catching herself. Before she could speak, her body felt weak and she fainted.

Quickly, he dashed around the corner the minute she began to fall. But he had rushed to her aid fast enough to catch her before she hit the ground and he simply lowered her down gently. Remarkable speed it was; he felt himself kind of blessed to still be a fast little bastard after all these years. He sat down on the floor and tried to put this all together.

_Did I do this?_ He though bewildered. He felt slightly stupid, but he sat there, closed his eyes, and began to focus very, very hard. _Just a little... _He could have checked her pulse, listened to her breathe, or did anything he used to do back in the 'old days', but instead he quickly gathered a small handful of chakra, concentrated it to his hands, and then slowly used it on Kaylian to find out why she fainted.

Koji was technically a Medic-Nin, considering the fact that he taught the three greatest Medic-Nins in the village. But it took him so long to become one. Being alive back when people found using chakra was unheard of, his body didn't know how to use chakra in an era like this. Spending a good 200 years to develop his body to do so, and yet all he can use is enough chakra to heal a wound in-between minor and major.

While he tried to come to what conclusion for the reason of her behavior, Kaine and Namaiya where watching from the doorway. "Wow, right on time too." Kaine said with a smile. He looked down at Kaylian and then to Koji and added, "And a medic too."

Koji's ears quickly shot straight up and the ends of his tail bristled when he noticed them standing at the door. He was surprised he didn't sense them there earlier. It must have been because of the fainted woman in front of him. He kept his eyes on both of them, his normally dull blue eyes became a slight light blue and his pupils became slit as he kept his guard up for a minute.

Namaiya sighed and handed Kaine a small vial. "Kaine..."

He was busy watching Koji reacting and when she handed him the vial, he smiled a bit sarcastically and took the vial.

"Geesh, I have to do everything, don't I?" He asked sarcastically as he walked towards Kaylian. He knelt down by her and gently opened her mouth. Koji had stopped trying to search her and, when Kaine got too close, he gave a growl.

"No need for the chakra, she just fainted from her condition." He said, trying to calm the wolf in front of him. He slowly tilted the clear liquid into her mouth and made sure she swallowed it. "She's got a weak heart and faints when she forgets to take her medicine."

"A weak heart? " He asked, a bit surprised.

Namaiya nodded in response.

Kaine looked directly at Koji, now that the wolf's defensive posture slowly began to relax. "If you plan to take care of her, make sure you keep some fresh, powdered Allium Sativum."

_Garlic?_ He thought questionably. He thought of how easily that could be fixed with a few years time, but yes, garlic was used for people with heart problems.

With that, he slowly stood up and walked back to the doorway. "Don't do anything stupid or you might regret it." He slightly smirked and Namaiya gave him an annoyed look.

"Kaine..."

He laughed a bit and looked at her. "What, I'm just teasing. I wouldn't actually hurt him. I'd leave that to Akumi, she's the one who be pissed off if anything ever happened to Kaylian."

She shook her head and sighed. Koji looked up at the two. Kaylian had mentioned that name a few times. He was starting to get curious about this Akumi girl.

Quickly, Kaine waved once and said, "See ya, lover boy!"

Before he had it all sunk into his head, Kaine's comment hit him like a brick. "I beg your pardon?" was all he said. A very old way to respond to such a comment; not many people say that anymore. It was always, "Excuse me".

But with that, they walked off into the distance as Kaylian started to wake up. "Augh... what happened?" She asked dizzily.

Koji looked back at the now empty doorway. "Can't really explain..." he simply said, dully. Then he looked down and put a gentle smile on his face as he added, "But you did faint. Apparently you have a weak heart condition?"

She slapped her forehead, feeling stupider by the minute. "Oh god, I forgot about that damn thing! That's really foolish of me to have forgotten."

"Well when you aren't feeling well, let me know. I have plenty of garlic until I need to get some in a month or so. The freshest garlic I have is a week old but I do keep them well preserved so they taste fresh and hold their potency." He paused. "I really don't believe we introduced, by the way. I invited you in and never remembered my manners. I'm Koji Minamoto. You are, Miss?"

She slowly forced herself to stand and gave a weak smile. "My name is Kaylian Yaminito, one of last wolf elders of the Hirogatsu clan." She paused. "Well, I'm not technically an elder or head member. Since head position was passed onto Akumi. But, I'm the most knowledgeable about all the information regarding our clan."

Being polite, he carefully helped her when she stood up. "Ah, another Hirogatsu." He said with some pep. "Not to sound mean or even rain on your parade, but I can see why James is very stressed out." After thinking about it now, he blurted out, "Then this Akumi you speak of must be Kakashi's girl he must have mentioned, then." Without thinking, he closed his eyes and muttered a bit. "I personally think I stressed him out telling him about how I knew who was responsible for the death of the clan, too. I could have sworn he'd know by now, but then I guess the only ones outside of the responsible ones who knew... were just me, then." It sunk in a bit until he opened his eyes and realized that maybe Kaylian didn't want to hear that, so he quickly paused and said quietly, "I should keep my mouth shut." His ears slowly sank. He made a soft grunt and looked at Kaylian. "You probably would like your herbs and get out of here fast, no?" He asked with a ton of guilt in his tone.

At first, she was a bit startled. _I didn't know that there were others that knew..._ But then she smiled softly. "No worries." She said aloud. Then she moved closer to him a bit, but then paused, as though she were nervous. "I'd actually would like to stay a bit longer if I could, at least til it's dark. That is, if it's fine with you."

_Til dark?_ He felt a little nervous when she said it. But he gave it a quick thought and, eventually, relaxed.

"I suppose so." Koji replied. "I don't see why it wouldn't hurt."


	22. Cousins

**Cousins**

Headache, burning fever, and to top it off with aches and pains from the trip home that finally sunk in; James had his hands full back at the house with just Kakashi alone. Akumi was still asleep on the couch, but Kakashi was wide-awake and begging for a bullet for the longest time. James just gave him some herbal medicine and some time to cool off, while James began sipping on some of that tea that Koji gave him in order to pass the time. Eventually Kakashi felt a lot better, apologized for how he was acting, and got up to stretch. Both men eventually were standing by the couch trying to figure out when Akumi would wake up.

"She sleep a lot?" James asked. The only answer was a shrug. "You're so much help." He added with a smirk.

Kakashi was in no mood to talk for a long time. Anyone could see it in his face. He was pale with a little sweat from the fever that hasn't broken yet. And he shook a little since he was sore.

"What is up with this?" the elder Hatake finally asked, just a little concerned.

"I don't know." Kakashi started slowly. "A lot of things happened last weekend. My body is probably trying to correct itself. Another reason is that probably on top of it all my system is trying to adjust to the new abilities that Akumi gave me from that bite. It's good that I stay away from the Yajukage's office for now, anyway. I could use one more day off."

Before James could reply, Akumi began to stir. Both of them looked down at her as she slowly started to wake up. None of them dared to talk unless she'd like a conversation. Her body had some time to rest, so her energy started to return. She slowly blinked her eyes and leaned up.

"Oh god, I've got a headache the size of the Grand Canal." She rubbed her head and then her stomach. _And my chakra still hasn't recovered. _She looked up and noticed the two Hatake's. "Where is...?" Before she said anymore, Akumi looked by the doorway and sighed. "Damn her, that Kaylian. She always takes forever to handle things."

James and Kakashi looked at each other and then looked at the doorway. They forgot all about Kaylian. While they continued to look out the doorway, she got up and stretched.

"Excuse me boys, I need to take a shower." She said as she headed to the stairs. "Gotta get ready to deal with the cousins."

"Cousins?" Kakashi asked turning his head sharply towards the stairs. James slowly nodded his head and looked over to Akumi simultaneously. "What cousins?"

And as if on cue, two figures suddenly appeared out of nowhere in front of Akumi. They were none other than the two that just confronted Koji and Kaylian earlier: Kaine and Namaiya.

"You called?" Kaine chirped with a smirk on his face.

Before she could react, she stumbled on her own feet and fell backwards. As fast as his aching body could let him, Kakashi ran over and grabbed Akumi to break the fall, but he did not do such a good job. She ended up crashing onto her back a split second before he was able to catch her fall.

"God! Stop doing that Kaine!" She spat as she rubbed her back. "You're such a pain in the ass!" Then she mumbled a few more cuss words as Kakashi tried to help her up.

Once it took both men to realize that the two came in unannounced and after that startling tumble, they had their guards up. That was... until Akumi noticed Namaiya standing beside Kaine as well.

"Namaiya!" Akumi practically shrieked with delight as she ran up the stairs and nearly toppled the girl and hugged her tightly.

Kaine gave a disappointed sigh. "Ah man... where's my hug?"

James merely tilted his head slightly and Kakashi just raised an eyebrow. "Uh..." Started James.

Kakashi finished, "…Can someone explain what is going on around here?"

Kaine looked over at the two Hatake's and smirked. "Oh, it looks like I forgot my manners again." Namaiya sighed, unable to do much, due to Akumi's hold on her. "My name is Kaine and the girl there, is Namaiya. We're late cousins of Akumi on her father's side."

"Then that makes you more members of the Hirogatsu clan?" James said dully as he attempted to take in everything since it had begun to happen all too quickly for him. Kakashi said nothing whatsoever for the most part, due to the fact that he had thought about helping Namaiya pry off Akumi. But he wasn't in a rush to do so; he wasn't quite sure if Akumi's mood swings would be as deadly as her many sides.

"Yes, but our last names were changed when we were outcasted. Our new last name is Omitarushi, weird huh?" Kaine slowly closed his eyes and tapped his chin in thought.

Meanwhile, Namaiya was slowly growing annoyed of Akumi's 'overbearing' presence. "Awww! Your so adorable when you get all shy Namaiya!" Akumi squealed as she nuzzled her cheek against Namaiya's head. You could see little anime hearts in the background.

"Kaine..." She gave him a pleading look.

"Ah fine, but you owe me." Kaine walked right behind Akumi and started poking her in the side. That's when Akumi burst out laughing.

"Haa… haa... ha ah… ha ha... stop it... Kaine!" She laughed as she let go of Namaiya, whom took the chance to run down the stairs and hide behind the couch while Kaine tickled Akumi endlessly. "I... s-s… said... knock... it... off!" Then Akumi turned and gave him a straight kick to the stomach, sending him smack into the wall. In response, James tried not to burst out laughing. She dusted herself and looked over at the two Hatake's. "What?"

Kakashi simply had watched Namaiya run downstairs and hide behind the couch until Akumi started talking to him. So he looked over at her and said, "I'm glad I wasn't the one that isn't against the wall right now."

The elder Hatake finally let out a few bursts of laughter before he found to ability to control himself and then asked, "So exactly what brings you here? And how come I've ended up meeting Kaylian and the two of you all in one day? Something we all miss?"

Namaiya looked from Akumi to James, with a look that said 'do I have to explain?' Akumi looked over at the KO'd Kaine and simply nodded 'yes'. Reluctantly, Namaiya started to explain.

"Well... since the last eldest is getting ready... we have to appear for the Tha' Nollia." She said with some difficulty, since she was not used to talking that much.

In response, Akumi gave a look of surprise. "Wow, you actually got her to talk, James..."

_Is making her talk a good thing?_ James thought to himself cluelessly, since he didn't know Namaiya that much.

After that, Namaiya expected Akumi to explain the rest, in which she gladly did. "You see, the Tha' Nollia is the lunar festival in which all family members are 'inclined' to attend. The festival marks the long vitality of the clan and celebrates the union of two clans or bloodlines. This celebration starts when the 8th new moon appears and ends two weeks later." She paused as she noticed the 'now awake' Kaine. Kakashi listened to her talk and remembered about the fact that he and Akumi were due to marry. But he wasn't quite sure how the others knew too.

"Basically, everyone has to attend or else. It's going to be really annoying this year for two reasons. One, this will be a bonding of mortal and daemon blood. And secondly, you can't forget the other vampire relatives such as Elder Marcus and Lady Ordinea." Akumi slapped her forehead. "Oh god, I forgot those two were still around... just great. I loathe those two, especially Ordinea."

Namaiya gave her a quizzical look. "Why...?"

Akumi sighed. "Even though she's 490 years old, she doesn't look a day over 50... and she's a bitch." That's when both of them fell silent.

Once they fell silent, everything that Akumi told him during their time together in Konoha flooded Kakashi's head. He remembered that the two of them claimed to be the last of their clans, but on that day James had been completely blocked from Kakashi's mind until he came home... he wasn't quite sure if these members of the family were either blocked out of her head as well, or there was much to discuss. The more the thoughts flooded his head, James had found time to look at his flesh and blood beside him and noticed a look of annoyance that had crossed Kakashi's face; James could see it in his eyes.

He ignored Kakashi for a split second and replied to Akumi, "That doesn't surprise me about this woman's age. You go visit Koji, the wolf that Kaylian went to see, and he looks like a teen but we all know he's over 850. And, hell, look at me," Then he opened his arms and made it clear that he was pointing out that he too doesn't look a day over 20. "Can you guess how old I really am? It actually used to piss Jiraiya off that I was his elder and I look like I'm on the border line of legal drinking age."

Kakashi broke his concentration for a second and asked, "Exactly how old did you become this April anyway?"

"92." James groaned. "Which shouldn't be a real problem to me since I have over 200 years to go, but those mortals in the other villages keep saying I'm ancient." Quickly James set his arms back down to his sides and added, "And now that I have your attention, is there something on your mind? You looked pissed."

The younger Hatake took a minute to reply before saying, "Yeah something is on my mind..." then he briefly touched that crystal that Akumi had given a few days prior; it still hung around his neck. "...But I think it is more personal..." then he glanced at Akumi. His actions were sure to give a clue as to what he wanted. And it didn't take long for Akumi to get the message.

"Oh... yeah... I think I got some explaining to do." Her ears turned down in embarrassment and Kaine started laughing.

"Don't tell me that you forgot, again!" He looked over at the two Hatake's. "You see, Akumi only saw us a few times during her life. So we probably didn't make that much of a 'lasting' impression on her. That, and the factoid that since one of the Elder's share a body with her, it's most likely that she took the opportunity to mess with Akumi's memories."

That's when Akumi got that slightly pissed off-look. _Damn vampire elder…_

He now looked over at Akumi and continued, "Which probably means, she deleted that incident at the Sand..."

"Huh, what do you mean? Tell me!" Now the wolf was really mad.

"Don't tell me you forgot about the experiments with..."

Before he could finish, Namaiya tossed a book at his head. "I sense," Namaiya started again, "we must go before you do something stupid again." Then she went over and grabbed Kaine by his ear and pulled him to the door.

"Oucchh! That hurts! Knock it off now!" Kaine screamed, but Namaiya didn't care. He began to silently cuss as Namaiya pulled him out the door and slammed it shut.

Akumi was now not only confused, but also ticked off. "God! I hate all this chaos! Screw it, I'm going to lay down." That's when she marched upstairs and slammed the door shut, leaving the two Hatake's alone.

It didn't help Kakashi much at all. James had taken the opportunity to sit down on the couch while Kaine spent his time trying to explain some things and was now sitting there with a confused twitch in his eye. But, to Kakashi's dismay, his pleading for some answers ended up turning into a fight and sent the cousins out the door and Akumi upstairs to lie down... yet again. He rolled his head and groaned as he fell sideways and onto the couch beside James, who contained his frustration a bit better than his great-grandnephew. Once things grew a bit more silent, the older Hatake finally spoke.

"Do you need some time alone?" He asked calmly. Kakashi had been lost in thought, so once James spoke his gaze slowly was redirected to the black-ish blue eyes of the man beside him. It was all James needed to know. The elder Hatake nodded with a smile and said, "Well since Namaiya and Kaine had left the house, I think I should head back to Koji's to see if he didn't get himself in trouble with Kaylian. It takes quite the amazing girl to spark his interest and Kaylian has been the first in over 80 years. So..." James rose up off the couch and then made one wave, the wave that Kakashi normally does to other people. "Going to go check. I'll let you talk to Akumi if you can."

Kakashi had remained very quite as James slowly opened the door and left, but eventually he got up off the couch and slowly made his way upstairs and back towards the room.

* * *

Elsewhere, Namaiya had finally stopped dragging Kaine and now began to scold him.

"Look what you did now, you lumbering idiot." She snapped. Kaine only replied with a sideways glance. "This is a hopeless case now, since you just _had_ to mention the whole Sand village thing."

"Well Geez, sorry that I just _had_ to ruin your little moment." Kaine snapped.

"What do you mean by that?" She slapped him upside the head with a small book that she kept in her back pouch.

"I saw you looking at him..." He mumbled, which resulted in another slap.

"Why would I ever be interested in men?" She yelled as she started to give him an onslaught of slaps with the book.

"Oucchh..! Knock it off!" He yelped tried to defend himself while talking. "Not all men are the same you know! Not all men worry about a girls appear-..."

Before he could continue, he noticed she had stopped slapping him. "S-shut up..! Don't remind me..."

Namaiya set her hands down to her sides as she lowered her head and small whimpers and chokes began to ring in Kaine's ears. Feeling slightly guilty, he gently wrapped his arms around her as she started to cry.

"Ah Geez, please don't cry." Kaine whimpered. "I hate seeing ya all teary-eyed. You know I'm not good at handling this stuff."

* * *

Akumi had hid her head underneath a pillow to try and calm down. _Damn nosy, good for nothing..._ She turned when she noticed Kakashi's presence at the door and gave a mumbled "come in".

He carefully opened the door and poked his head through the door to see her and then asked very sheepishly, "They all left; we're by ourselves. May I please talk to you a bit?"

This was all overwhelming lately for her; first, the fight with Akatsuki, then the news about the upcoming twins, and now the appearance of lost relatives. She looked outside and noticed how dark it was. _Kaylian should be heading home._ She looked back over at Kakashi and then the wall. "What would you like to talk about?"

He could tell she was under a ton of stress at the moment, so he became very patient with her responding to his presence and was extremely cautious as he choose his words carefully. "Well, I feel like we're a couple of strangers here. I know only a bit about you and I feel like I need to know more." He slowly slipped into the room and then sat on the foot of the bed. "If there's time, I'd like to just talk. We should know more about each other. Everything is happening a little quicker than my head can grasp. So I want to start things slow." He paused as he thought a bit more. "May I start with something a bit odd? You had mentioned to Kaylian that you knew someone that had gotten himself killed in the Massacre. My clan was killed 33 years before I was born, so that makes you... older than me." He looked over at her. "I'm 44 and will be 45 in two months. That makes _you_ how old?" He knew that asking a woman how old she was is a bad plan, but he had to start somewhere.

Right now, age is the simplest thing he could think of and it didn't involve talking about her family.


	23. Small Talk

**Small Talk**

Kaylian had begun to gather her things in one place as she noticed the darkness outside. Koji noticed that her mind was distracted to something else and he looked out at the window that showed the presence of an evening sky. Kaylian slowly walked over to the window and looked up at the sunset sky. She could see that the stars began to become visible to the eyes as the night came closer.

"The night is so serene, don't you think Koji?" She asked pleasantly. She had a blissful look on her face as she stared at the sky. "I don't mind the daytime so much, but for some reason I find comfort in the darkness that is the night." She looked towards him. "I remember how poetic my father was to my mother. He always had a certain charm when he spoke to her. It was oh so romantic..." She smiled sweetly and looked at the stars. "He used to say that the night sky was jealous of my mother's eyes, and that's why the stars would shine so brightly. Because they wanted to shine brighter than her."

The wolf came around the counter that separated his kitchen from the living room, looked out the same window as she, and observed the coming night and listened to her talk. Once she began to space out into her thoughts a bit, he decided to respond.

"Ever lied out on the grass during a warm summer night?" He said to her question. "I used to do that when I was really young. I haven't done that in ages. And I mean ages." His ears flattened a bit as he thought about it. But then they quickly perked up again. "I think the last time I ever did that was with my first wife. She liked the night as well. She told me she was always fascinated by the starry sky. I used to find that kind of cute since she was the only one I knew that took a liking to night. My boys would roll their eyes and try not to laugh, but they were kids at the time when she told them that. I just thought it was sweet… odd, but sweet." He looked over at Kaylian and smiled. "But the more I thought about it, it doesn't seem so odd after all, you know? The night is pretty fascinating."

He closed his eyes and smiled when she had mentioned romance._ Romance. I forgot what that was like._ He thought. Then he stood up and asked, "Are you still thinking about staying tonight or do you need to get those herbs back to Akumi?"

"You know what, knowing Akumi, she'll probably won't mind me staying here for tonight. But first..." She looked towards Koji. "Let's enjoy the scenery while we can!" The second Koji raised his eyebrows in a bit of confusion, she ran outside toward an open spot in his small front lawn and plopped down. "C'mon, don't just stand there, have some fun!" She laughed a bit and laid back on the cool grass. "I heard tonight there might be a meteor shower, which is rare for this part of the country."

He walked outside and looked straight up at the sky as it had now began to loose all of the evening colors and night took over. He looked back down at Kaylian and smiled. _Really long time since I did this..._ He slowly made his way over and sat down next to her; then putting his hands on his head and leaning back so he could stretch out on the grass. "I heard that too. I wasn't quite sure if they were right, but I guess we'll find out."

She looked over at him and smiled very sweetly. He looked at her in the corner of his eyes and returned the smile with one of his small, gentle ones. He looked up at the sky for a while and just watched the starry sky that began to shine very brightly and remained quiet, as he got lost in thought.

_It's kind of nice,_ he thought, _to do this with someone again. I should do this more often._

* * *

After a little while of releasing the emotional tension, Namaiya had finally calmed down. "Sorry..." She whispered.

Kaine slowly let go of her and sighed. "No worries, I'm used to it. Anyways, I better check on Kaylian, you stay here okay?" As he started to walk off, Namaiya puffed up her chest and gave this very annoyed look to his turned back.

"Wait, why do I have to stay?" She blurted, letting the air out of her lungs.

He turned briefly. "Cause, I thought you might like some alone time with _him_." After that, he dashed off.

"Him...? What does he mean by _him_?" She turned and then began to sense the presence of a strong aura… a human aura… James. He was heading her way. "Kaine, you are so DEAD when you get back..."

* * *

His eyes were closed and his walk a little lazy, but he managed to hold himself upward as made his way back home. He decided that Koji was old enough (and I mean OLD) to not do anything funny with Kaylian, so James figured he'd crawl into bed and retire for the night. He had been softly singing to himself to keep his mind working and from dozing, but he noticed that stars began to dash like crazy over the black sky. He stopped walking for a minute and watched as the presence of quite the meteor shower took place. It was his second meteor shower he's ever seen; the last one being with his older brother when they were children.

"Oh Mahiro-Niisan..." He said to himself dully as he looked up at the stars. "I'd hate to see your reaction if you were in my shoes... but I'm pretty sure you'd be more sympathetic towards your boy's grandson." _Kakashi is definitely flustered._ He thought in his head. _But it's because he in the dark and wants to know more... I know how that feels. _

* * *

"Oh, look Koji! It's starting, it really was true!" She smiled a bit childishly. "They're so pretty, the way they glide across the sky." She started to try and count how many fell.

"What do you know..." Koji said smirking. "I haven't seen a meteor shower in a long time. You're right; it is rare here in this country. But always pretty to see." He paused and smiled. "I don't know if people still do this, but they say if you find a shooting star you make a wish... lets see so that gives me..." he gave a playful smirk as he attempted to count all the fast blurs that darted across the night sky, trying to see how many wishes he could get.

Kaylian giggled a bit as he made a childish attempt to count all the stars that glided across the sky. And she slowly had nodded in agreement to his comment on the meteor shower. "This reminds me of the nights I used to spend with my father before... his sudden death." She paused, holding back some tears. "Like me, he had a weak heart."

Koji looked at her and remained silent. His smile had faded and in his eyes there was more sympathy and pain than anyone could imagine. He gathered his thoughts, returning his gaze to the showers as they kicked up the amount of shooting stars by the dozens. He understood what it was like to feel pain and talk about a late loved one. He knew; he lost a lot of family in his life. So he remained quiet to be respectful, but all the while, thoughts to fix the weak heart were flooding into his thoughts. He'd like to help her and get to know her better, know her as a good friend, if she wanted that.

During that time, the stars still scattered brightly across the sky.

* * *

James sighed and continued walking after the showers began to cease with the burst of flashing lights and remained light on the stars that skittered across the night. He began to get dull enough that he didn't even notice that he was in hearing and visible range of Namaiya; he had closed his eyes and tried to block out past memories with a tune in his head. Feeling like he was alone, he opened his mouth to sing. Namaiya slowly turned, not bothering to say anything yet, until she heard what came through the lips of the head Hatake. It was a voice that belonged to an angel. It didn't even sound like James.

_**And I know that stillness shatters**_

_**We have all been frightened by the sound**_

_**Of footsteps on the pavement of our lives**_

When she heard him start to sing, it somehow reminded her of the kinder side of Akumi. He was about to continue until her presence was no longer hard to notice, for she was sitting just two feet across to his right. He stopped dead in his tracks but he didn't open his eyes and look at her, but instead knew it was her, shook his head and pierced his lips as an embarrassed look crossed his face. _Gotta watch who's out at night before I sing..._

"You have a gentle voice like Akumi, but with more soul." Namaiya said, breaking the silence.

James slowly opened his eyes as he looked at her, his cheeks becoming a little pink with embarrassment since he was nervous when it came to other's listening to him sing. Fortunately for him, since it was dark out, Namaiya couldn't see the color on his face. He had to say something, but there was guilt hiding in the tone as he replied. "Thanks… where's Kaine?"

"Kaine? He went to check on Kaylian." She said. She slowly gathered the courage to move closer to him. But when she brushed by some low branches, they caught the back of her dress. Not wanting to embarrass herself, she backed up against a tree to hide her back. James had noticed her approach, but he paid no mind to it.

"I see. And why did he leave you here?" He made a smirk to lighten up the next question. "Didn't feel like coming along?"

* * *

Akumi remained very quiet as she looked over at him with a look of 'you've got to be kidding me'. As she choose her words, she finally said, "I know, in daemon years; in occurrence with the celestial calendar... I'm 278 years old... which would be in human years... umm..." She paused in thought. "Well, I'm not quite sure..."

Kakashi stopped to calculate the human years in his head, since he knew a bit about that too. But once he turned to look away from her and thought, and before she could finish her own thoughts, her vampire side decided to make an appearance by slowly transforming her features.

Kakashi heard her voice become different as Alyena began to speak. "Is there something you would like to ask me Kakashi? I bet your _dying_ to get some answers at the moment." She made a slight smirk on her face. "I really don't like how your prying into our history... but I'm sure you have some objections as well."

Kakashi remained very quiet the minute he realized that he was sitting next to the vampire half and not his fiancée. He really didn't want to deal with her two days in a row, but nevertheless, it seemed like he didn't have a choice this time. Then Alyena slowly crawled a little closer to the edge of the bed so she could try to meet the blackish-brown eyes of the Hatake at the foot, but he shifted away when he heard her move. In time, he was sure Akumi would realize that it was very, very, very rare for Kakashi to loathe someone. And I mean very rare. Aleyna was so far the first in a long time that Kakashi had loathed. He wasn't in a big hurry to help her either, since he knew that the vampire took control for that purpose only. But he just wanted to know Akumi and he was willing to tell her everything about him. He didn't feel like he was being pushy.

She moved closer to him again. "How about a deal?" She said as she toyed with her hair. "I'll put all of Akumi's memories back in order, if..." She paused, pulling out the moment. "If you can get my body back for me. If you're unsure how to do that, why don't you ask my darling Namaiya for help." She laughed a bit, in an evil tone. "Though, knowing her, she might not want to help so quickly. After all, she's still mad at me for burning and scarring her back."

Again, he sifted slightly after Aleyna came closer, but this deal that she proposed did indeed feel pushy, for once. He couldn't blame Namaiya for disliking her, really. But Aleyna was practically holding Akumi ransom; he had no choice. He'd like to see Akumi, not Aleyna. After a few long minutes of thinking, he finally spoke his mind.

"Why..." he said in a surrendered tone. He really did not want to listen to Alyena talk nasty to him, so for once he was going to submit so he can talk reasonably with her. "...Exactly are you in this state in the first place? Tell me that much. If I'm going to get you your body back, it's the least you can do."

"Oh, how fun that you decided to listen!" Alyena giggled as she clapped her hands together in excitement. "First off, it all began when our two clans were at war; the Dog Daemon Massacre. Our clan decided to open the gates to the Land of Legends, in order to take over the three high clans as well as the land of Fire, Wind, Mist and Snow." She paused. "But, it seemed that there was a side effect from opening the gates early. You see the gates can only be opened when Bijuu sacrifice is present." She paused to stretch. "So, since the gates were being forced open, it responded back by taking a life… my life… and imprisoning it in the doors."

Kakashi finally had the nerve to turn his head and look at the glistening red eyes of the woman before him as she, in turn, looked at him as well. "So basically, the only way I could return was to be sealed in the Jinchuuriki's body. Which turned out to be Akumi, my sister's granddaughter." She yawned a bit, catching her breath. "But no one knew this, until the day when Akumi wandered down by the alter and fell into a coma for three months. You can bet that pissed off her father and the elders. And thus, during the time she was in the coma, our memories temporarily merged and she gained all the knowledge of the old and new. Does that explain enough, or do you want more?"

He was taking it in with much interest in order to figure out how to fix everything. He would ask more, but a question spurred that could use an answer. "Well exactly when did Akumi enter the altar? Cause if you've been sealed in those doors for god knows how long, how am I going to get your body back?"

Before she could answer, Akumi slowly got tired of Aleyna controlling her and she managed to gain her body back. Kakashi remained very silent and motionless as Akumi regained full control once again. "God I hate that woman. This is wearing me..." Akumi murmured. Before she could finish what she had to say, she fell asleep from the energy needed to gain her body back.

After she fell asleep, he shut his eyes tightly and just dropped his shoulders; letting all the tension in his body weight him down. He has had quite enough of just about everything; from the sudden drop in of people, to the demands that Aleyna was forcing on him. It was only a week since he met Akumi and all this has happened. He was ready to slow everything down. He looked over at Akumi and smiled before brushing away a lock of hair that fell in front of her face. He got up and headed downstairs to try and find something to eat. He slept all day and stressed all evening; it was time to do something else. He had opened the fridge to look for something there until the time on the clock above the stove caught his attention. 9:15 it said, with the night sky pitch black and the moon illuminating the buildings and a bit of the pavement outside. Now here came another thing to worry about. The arrival of Akumi's relatives and the sudden changes in Akumi had made Kakashi forget about a certain three-tailed fox.

_Well now... She's two hours late._ Kakashi thought to himself. Oh great; yet another person for him to be concerned about.


End file.
